STORIA DEL TERMALISMO FLEGREO (I SEC. A. C. – XIX SEC.) ED IMPLICAZIONE TERAPEUTICA NELLA PATOLOGIA ORL
HISTORY OF PHLEGREAN THERMAL AND THERAPEUTIC IMPLICATION IN THE PATHOLOGY OF THE EAR NOSE AND THROAT

Le sorgenti termali dell’area flegrea hanno rappresentato tra il I secolo a.C. e il XIX secolo una realtà rinomata. Attualmente, tali terme sono quasi del tutto scomparse.
Attraverso uno studio bibliografico e topografico, sono state individuate quelle sorgenti termali, di questa area, con le proprietà terapeutiche per la patologie di interesse ORL.
Il lavoro è incentrato sullo studio di un poema medioevale scritto probabilmente nel XIII secolo da Pietro da Eboli, De Balneis Puteolanis, e su successivi studi di Sebastiano Bartolo, medico irpino, (Montella 1629- Napoli 1676).
Tali lavori enumerano i bagni e le acque termoninerali conosciuti al loro tempo esaltandone le proprietà curative di molti mali, fra i quali spesso si ritrovano patologie legate al distretto di pertinenza ORL. In tali studi veniva già allora correlata la tipologia delle acque termale e gli aspetti terapeutici sulle patologie otorinolaringoiatriche. Infatti, venivano contemplate le seguenti patologie: Sinusiti, stomatiti, faringiti, laringiti, tracheiti e sordità rinogena.
Si auspica, infine, un aumento dell’interesse da parte degli studiosi per approfondire il discorso storico e medico sulle terme flegree, che avviate ai nuovi fasti dagli aragonesi, in parte distrutte (secondo una leggenda) dai medici salernitani, hanno dato e potrebbero ancora dare un notevole impulso economico e scientifico a tutta l’area flegrea.

SUMMARY:
Between the first century B.C. and the nineteenth Century Hot Springs of the phlegrean area were well known. Nowadays they have disappeared almost completely.  Thanks to a bibliographical and topographical study, the Hot Springs of that area have been identified as well as their efficacious therapeutic properties for what the pathologies of the Ear Nose and Throat are concerned.
This issue is based on a mediaeval poem called “De Balneis Puteolanis” wich was probably written by Pietro da Eboli in the thirteenth Century and on some following studies carried on from Dr. Sebastiano Bartolo native of Irpinia(Montella1629 – Napoli 1676).
In the above mentioned studies were enumerated the Public Baths and the Hot Springs wich at that time were quite known and their curative properties for many deseases (included many pathologies of the Ear Nose and Throat) were praised. The Authors put in evidence the link between the Hot Spring’s typology and the therapeutic aspects as far the Ear Nose and Throat pathologies were concerned. As a matter of fact , sinusitis, tracheitis, pharyngitis, stomatitis , laryngitis and rhinogenous deafness were considered.
We hope for a growing interests from Searchers in order to make a careful study of the History of Hot Springs in the phlegrean area as well as their medical applications. Aragonese made Hot Springs sumptuous, a legend tells us that some doctors from Salerno destroied them.
We think that Hot Springs could still give an economical and scientific impulse to the whole phlegrean area.