Le riflessioni sull’utilità delle traduzioni nelle riviste mediche italiane del secondo Settecento

During the second half eighteenth century Italy witnessed the rapid growth of periodical press. Among the variety of subjects offered to the readers, science played a fundamental role. Articles, reviews and bibliographic notes on new scientific theories and practices were able to address the interest of a wider audience, composed not only by learned people and scientists, but also by readers with a strong professional interest or a simple curiosity for science. By examining two different journals (the Raccolta di opuscoli medico- fisici, and the Giornale per servire alla storia ragionata della Medicina di questo secolo) and focusing the attention on the articles discussing the social and cultural relevance of translation practices, this paper aims at discussing the role of periodicals as tools through which the European medical knowledge was disseminated in the Italian peninsula.