DiCapua compound
Lionardo DiCapua’s story
Pictured above is the DiCapua compound in Bagnoli, Irpino. The plaque was placed in 2017 on the 400th anniversary of his birth. It reads: “In this house on the 10th of August 1617 was born Lionardo DiCapua Renowned Physician, Scientist, Philosopher Opposed to Every Form of Dogmatism, Affirming the Primacy of Liberal Thinking.”
unanswered questions
In the last post, I began listing the reasons why I wrote From Superstition to Science as historical fiction rather than pure history. I listed a few unanswered questions regarding Lionardo’s life, and I’ll continue with the others.
questions continued
3.) Where was Lionardo during the great plague in the Kingdom of Naples in 1656? Did he remain in Naples, or did he remove himself to a place far removed from the city? In my mind, this omission by Amenta in La Vita di Lionardo DiCapua is one of the most profound. The Neapolitan plague had a huge impact on the history of the Kingdom during, and for many years afterwards. In terms of mortality, the city of Naples suffered one of the highest rates of death secondary to the plague ever recorded, and all within a year’s time. So, why did Amenta not tell us where Lionardo was during the plague? Did Amenta not know Lionardo’s whereabouts (unlikely)? Or was he trying to cover for Lionardo’s absence, even though, given the available treatments, no doctor could help the victims?
cause of disease unknown
In those days, the true cause of the disease was unknown, although Lionardo knew the implications of the miasma theory, and thus would have tried to remain apart from others just as the characters in Boccacio’s Decameron had done. And like those characters, he probably would have left the city to stay with a small group of trusted (not to mention hygienically clean) friends in an isolated place. That is why in my book, From Superstition to Science, Lionardo leaves the city to stay with his best friends in the countryside. It’s a completely fictional part of the story, which again offers opportunities for further side stories.
proceedings
4.) What happened to the proceedings from the many meetings of the Accademia degli Investiganti? In La Vita, Amenta tells us that they met roughly every three weeks over a few years. The meetings were held in the palace of the Marchese Conclubet in Naples. After the murder of Conclubet, the documents passed to his cousin the Duke of Atri (Giovan Girolamo Acquaviva) who was a scholar and an admirer of Conclubet and the other Investiganti. In 1707, at a time when the Kingdom of Naples was falling apart due to years of Spanish incompetence, Acquaviva lost his castle, its contents, his lands, and other holdings to the overwhelming might of an Austrian prince. He ended up living in poverty in Rome, where he died in 1709. Barring some amazing luck, most likely the proceedings will remain lost.
historical characters
While doing the research for Lionardo’s story, I came across several fascinating historical characters like Acquaviva the Duke of Atri, including John Dee and his alcoholic sidekick Edward Kelly, Pico della Mirandola, Gian Alfonso Borelli, Giordano Bruno, to mention just a few. In fact, one of the problems I had in writing the book was trying to include many of those characters without detracting from the main story. Initially I included the historical chapters within the body of the book, but after hearing the same suggestion from early readers, I decided to separate the historical details and include them in an appendix at the end of the book.
To read more about Lionardo DiCapua’s life and times, please consider purchasing my book, From Superstition to Science; Lionardo DiCapua and the Uncertainty of Medicine.
Image credit: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:IMG-20180104-WA0014.jpg
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