The Nurse and the Literature: the nurse in two Italian texts of the XVII century

Although the term "Infermiero" ("nurse") is witnessed in Italian texts since the XIV century, the first literature texts portraying nurses were released in the XVII century. We focus on two works, namely the comedy "La Fiera", by Michelangelo Buonarroti the Younger, performed first in 1619, and the poem "Il Malmantile Racquistato", by Lorenzo Lippi, printed in 1688. Intriguingly, they are both to be ascribed to comedy, rather than to tragedy. Part of the action of "La Fiera" takes place in a mental hospital, where mads for love are shelterd. In a scene, the doctor and a nurse have a briefing, while the doctor is in a hurry to go to the market. The different behaviour of the doctor towards male and female nurses is clearly evident. In "Malmantile", the text is accompanied by the footnotes by Paolo Minucci, giving explanations about the text: this results in a heap of information about the Tuscan way of life of the XVII Century. In this text, the different figures acting in an hospital are distinguished, the nurse being an educated person, with a responsability role in the management of the department. The findings are discussed in comparison with other authors of the period, such as Francesco Dal Bosco.