French influence on medical development in Malta

Abstract

Until the beginning of the 19th century, Italian influence was a major formative force in moulding Maltese medicine but French trends have also played a profound role especially in the 17th and 18th centuries. It is the aim of the present study to identify the most salient and distinctive imprints from France that have left their mark on the Maltese medical past. This French impact is shown in:- 1. The pattern of the administration of the Holy Infirmary of the Order of St John of Jerusalem in Valletta from the 16th to the 18th centuries. 2. The presence of French physicians and surgeons in Malta. 3. The education and training of Maltese medical men in France. 4. Medical advice and hospital equipment from France. 5. The diffusion of French medical literature and ideas among Maltese medical practitioners. 6. The persistence of French medical links in the 19th and 20th centuries.