HISTORICAL HINTS
HISTORICAL HINTS3. XVII Century. Mathematics and History
The transfer of the Estense Court from Ferrara to Modena - the new capital of the Duchy (1 598) - gave the people from Modena new hope that there would be no further problems to the official re- establishment of the University. In fact, new attempts and projects were born but, for various reasons, were not able to materialise immediately. However, in 1678 because of the generous contibutions made by private citizens, the state schools that formed the University were re- established and courses of Philosophy, Mathematics and Law were formed. The University of Modena began to increase the number of its disciplines in a very short time. So much so that, on 5 November 1682 Duke Francesco II could be present at the solemn inauguration of the renewed University and hear the academic discourse given by Bernardino Ramazzini, who had been called to teach medicine. In 1683 new more organic Statutes were given to the University establishing the number of chairs as twelve for the teaching of Civil and Canonic Rights, Medicine, Philosophy and Mathematics. The renewed University became rapidly known for the quality of its teachers. The difficulty in mentioning them lies in the fact of choice - we will mention only Bernardino Ramazzini, the founder of occupational medicine, Francesco Torti, the author of a classic thesis on malaria and its cure with cinchona bark, Giovanni Cinelli, who taught the language of Tuscany, Michelangelo Fardella, teacher of physics and metaphysics; G, Battista Boccabadati, jurist and mathematician; Lazzaro Spallanzani, the famous physiologist. There were also some of the most illustrious scholars of that time - Ludovico Antonio Muratori, the father of Italian history, who graduated in Law in 1694, and Carlo Goldoni.
