Ill-health, Work and Occupational Health in Early Modern Italy (ca.1550-1750)

ended

My project investigates the relationship between ill-health and working life in early modern Italy (c.1550-1750). The objective is to analyse how workers communicated health problems to employers and, in turn, how employers responded. It provides a ground-breaking perspective on the cultural history of ill-health, taking an occupational health approach to experiences of illness, health in the domestic environment, and public health. Ill-health is broadly conceived, encompassing chronic illness, bouts of ill-health, and injury. Work is defined as ‘the use of time with the goal of making a living.’ Therefore, both paid and unpaid activities are considered, and particular attention is given to women’s work. Italy is a crucial site for analysis as it had a diverse workforce in highly urbanised areas while also being at the forefront of developing public health procedures in Europe, including the regulation of dangerous jobs. Concerns about the health consequences of working practices grew during this period, as demonstrated by a widely circulated treatise on the diseases of workers first published in 1700. I will apply methodological approaches from the history of epistemology to neglected sources including manuscript ‘sick notes’ found in letters, physicians’ notebooks, medical treatises, and regulations created by employers. The project examines how concerns about work activities were integrated into medical discourse and diagnosis, how workers understood and shared health problems, and how occupational health shaped early modern society. Following teaching-focused positions and non-academic employment, I will restart my research career at Ca’ Foscari in Venice where I will have access to archives, work with outstanding researchers and receive career development training. The results will be disseminated through peer-reviewed, open access journals, a project website, a museum exhibition and via academic and public talks.