Physicians and alternative medicines in "The Barber of Seville" by Gioachino Rossini: A bicentennial debate.
BACKGROUND
The year 2016 marks the bicentennial anniversary of the premiere of "The Barber of Seville" by Gioachino Rossini (1792-1868). This opera buffa, one of the most renowned in the world, puts on stage a sharp criticism against the physicians of that time in favour of empiric healers, respectively represented by the doctor Bartolo and the barber Figaro.


METHODS
The paper analysed both the opera by Rossini and the French comedy "Le Barbier de Séville" (1775) by Pierre Beaumarchais (1732-1799), on which the Italian composer based his own play.


RESULTS
The unlearned barber Figaro is portrayed as a poor but wise guy, while his rival, the graduated doctor Bartolo, is defined as an arrogant and opulent old physician. Dr. Bartolo's incompetence, lack of skill and ignorance are evident in the works by Rossini and Beaumarchais. Both plays show empiric and unskilled medicine triumphs over academic medicine, which appears weak in its scientific concepts and corrupted by money.


CONCLUSIONS
Arrogance, presumption and carelessness among physicians are a danger nowadays as they have been for a couple of hundred years, since they may not only lead to misjudgement and errors, but also to an increase of alternative medicines and strange healing remedies.
['Riva|Michele Augusto|MA|', 'Bellani|Iacopo|I|', 'Turato|Massimo|M|', 'Cesana|Giancarlo|G|']
D002983:Clinical Competence D000529:Complementary Therapies D028661:Complicity D005607:Fraud D049671:History, 18th Century D049672:History, 19th Century D049674:History, 21st Century D006801:Humans D008512:Medicine in the Arts D010820:Physicians D028743:Professional Misconduct D020377:Self Efficacy
Barber of Seville Gioachino Rossini Opera Pierre Beaumarchais History