Vincenzo Monaldi (16 April 1899, in

Monte Vidon Combatte Monte Vidon Combatte is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Fermo in the Italian region Marche, located about south of Ancona and about north of Ascoli Piceno. Monte Vidon Combatte borders the following municipalities: Carassai, Mon ...

Province of Fermo The province of Fermo ( it, provincia di Fermo) is a province in the Marche region of central Italy. It was established in 2004 and became operational in 2009. Its administrative centre and provincial capital is the city of Fermo (population of ...

– 7 November 1969) was an Italian

physician A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...

and physiologist. His family lived in

Grottazzolina Grottazzolina is a town and comune in the province of Fermo, in the Marche region of Italy. Twin towns - twin cities * Komádi – Hungary * 2nd district of Budapest – Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in ...

, some of his relatives still live there, two brothers Giulio and Francesco Monaldi emigrated to

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

Biography

He fought in the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, while he studied, obtaining a military award, the

Croce di Guerra The War Cross for Military Valor ( it, Croce di Guerra al Valor Militare) is an Italian order for military valor. Established in 1922, the cross may be awarded only in time of war. Appearance The medal is a Greek cross made of copper. Inscri ...

. In 1925 he obtained his medicine degree and specialized in treating

Tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, i ...

and illness of the

respiratory system The respiratory system (also respiratory apparatus, ventilatory system) is a biological system consisting of specific organs and structures used for gas exchange in animals and plants. The anatomy and physiology that make this happen varies ...

. He established the academic journal "Archivio di fisiologia", which is still one of the top journals in the field, now called "Monaldi Archives of Chest Disease." He gathered international fame and was named member of the

Royal Society of Medicine The Royal Society of Medicine (RSM) is a medical society in the United Kingdom, headquartered in London. History The Society was established in 1805 as Medical and Chirurgical Society of London, meeting in two rooms in barristers’ chamber ...

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

and others in

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

and

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. He was assistant at the Physiology Institute of Rome, then he went on to

Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...

as professor and director of "Principe di Piemonte" sanatorium (now "Ospedale Monaldi").

Political life

He was Mayor of his home town

when he was just 20 years old, the youngest mayor in

. He joined the Italian People's Party of Don

Luigi Sturzo Luigi Sturzo (; 26 November 1871 – 8 August 1959) was an Italian Catholic priest and prominent politician. He was known in his lifetime as a "clerical socialist" and is considered one of the fathers of the Christian democratic platform. He w ...

then the

Democrazia Cristiana Christian Democracy ( it, Democrazia Cristiana, DC) was a Christian democratic political party in Italy. The DC was founded on 15 December 1943 in the Italian Social Republic (Nazi-occupied Italy) as the ideal successor of the Italian People's ...

. He was elected senator in 1948, holding important positions in government until he became High Commissioner for Hygiene and then became the first

Italian Minister of Health The Minister of Health (Italian: ''Ministro della Salute'') in Italy is one of the positions in the Italian government. The ministry was officially established in 1958, with Vincenzo Monaldi, of the Christian Democracy, serving as the first mini ...

in the Fanfani II Cabinet.

Last years

When Vincenzo Monaldi left political activity, he returned to practice as a doctor and teacher. He died in Naples in 1969. Today, the "Principe di Piemonte" sanatorium is named after him.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Monaldi, Vincenzo 1899 births 1969 deaths People from the Province of Fermo Christian Democracy (Italy) politicians Italian Ministers of Health Senators of Legislature I of Italy Senators of Legislature II of Italy Senators of Legislature III of Italy Senators of Legislature IV of Italy Politicians of Marche Italian physiologists Italian hospital administrators University of Naples Federico II faculty Italian military personnel of World War I Grand Officers of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic