The chair of diseases of the eyes and urinary bladder in the university of Naples in XVIII century and the institution of autonomous university chairs of ophtalmology in Vienna and in Naples

Abstract

In 1779, a chair entitled “Malattie degli occhi e della vescica urinaria” (“Eyes and Urinary Bladder diseases”) was established at the University of Naples and was assigned to Michele Troja, Enlightenment scientist, physician and surgeon. As in the case of Ophthalmology teaching, assigned to Joseph Barth, at the University of Vienna, also in Naples this was not recognized as an independent chair until later on, in Vienna with Joseph Beer and in Naples with Giovan Battista Quadri, a student of Beer. Michele Troja in 1780, gathered all his university lectures on eye diseases into a book that constituted an Ophthalmology text for students and physicians. This text, which today has considerable historical interest, was used for many years also after Troja's teaching ended.