A new version of the cause of death of Italian artist, graphic artist and architect Rafael Santi, who died about 500 years ago, is being discussed.
According to scientists, the author of many masterpieces around the world has fallen victim to medical negligence.
He was previously thought to have died of syphilis at the age of 37, but was later diagnosed with malaria or typhoid. Historians at the University of Milan-Bicocca do not accept these hypotheses based on their research.
To find out the real cause of death of the genius of the Renaissance, scientists studied the data of Raphael's contemporaries Corcio Vasari "The lives of the most famous artists, sculptors and architects", the Duke of Ferrara Alfonso Paolucci and 19th century art historian Giuseppe Campori.
Researchers concluded that Raphael had contracted pneumonia. His body was weakened, but instead of strengthening the patient's health with drugs known at the time, they decided to resort to a hemorrhagic procedure that accelerated his death. They note that hemorrhage can help with intestinal infections or other diseases, but its use is not allowed in case of inflammation.
"We can't say for sure that Raphael was infected with bacterial or viral pneumonia like the current COVID-19. But according to contemporaries, this is possible, "said medical historian Michele Augusto Riva.
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