[De Morbis Artificium Diatriba by Bernardino Ramazzini (The tercentenary of the first addition)]

Three hundred years ago, the first edition of "De Morbis Artificium Diatriba", or considerations for occupational diseases in workers employed in manufactures and the arts--a fundamental work of Bernardino Ramazzini (1633-1714) was published. In the work based on very thorough investigations carried out in groups of workers representing fifty two occupations, Ramazzini showed an overall picture of relationships between working conditions, health and disease. Each section of this work starts with a brief description of disability or health impairment induced by particular kind of job. This is followed by technical characteristics of working conditions, clinical aspects of a given occupational pathology, literature review and indications or regulations for combating existing diseases or preventing new ones. Interestingly, the size of first edition of the book published in 1700 was very small (18 cm in height) as it was intended to be a pocket book for practising doctors.