Attribution of the “sign of the trapezius hypotrophy” to the clinician Cesare Federici: historical evidence in the scripts of Umberto Gabbi and Fabio Rivalta.

This contribution acknowledges a great Italian physician, Cesare Federici, his teaching and clinical ability, and his eponymous sign. A master of pathology and semiotics, he committed himself, fully and successfully, also to the lay society of his times, as illustrated by his appointments as Florence town councilor and member of the Board of Education (Consiglio Superiore della Pubblica Istruzione). Still nowadays, the “sign of Federici” indicates the impingement of the trapezius muscle caused by hypotonicity and hypotrophy