ABSTRACT
Lancisis book De subitaneis mortibus was published in 1707, a year after the wave of unexpected accidents that had terrorised Rome. It was admirable for the solidity of its doctrines, the abundance of medical learning and the clarity of its style and order, was very well received. It was reviewed in scholarly journals such as Galleria di Minerva, Giornale de Letterati dItalia, Journal des Savants and Acta Eruditorum; both foreign periodicals especially underscored that Lancisis study had been commissioned by the pope. In truth, the recurrent epidemics that hit the Papal State at the beginning of the eighteenth century provided the medical profession with plenty of occasions to play an active role. Before the papal archiaters tract had even left the printing press, the pope made plain his satisfaction with the brilliant management of the sudden death mystery by consulting his physicians on issues that had previously been outside the sphere of competence for medical practitioners.
