Bologna : the part which it has played in the history of anatomy, its octo-centenary celebration : a lecture delivered to the anatomy class of Trinity College on the 1st November, 1888 / by D.J. Cunningham.
- Daniel John Cunningham
- Date:
- 1888
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: Bologna : the part which it has played in the history of anatomy, its octo-centenary celebration : a lecture delivered to the anatomy class of Trinity College on the 1st November, 1888 / by D.J. Cunningham. Source: Wellcome Collection.
Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.
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![When the delegates arrived in Bologna, the preparations for their reception were found to be in a very backward condition. Every- thing apparently had been left over to the last moment, and it was evident that the authorities had not anticipated the many difficulties attending the reception of 182 foreign representatives, the majority speaking different languages, and comparatively few possessing a colloquial knowledge of Italian. It was not surprising, then, that the arrangements were found to be inadequate. This, whilst it ])roduced some discomfort and entailed a good deal of trouble on the part of the delegates, happily did not mar the success of the celebration ; and although I have alluded to it, I would not for a moment impute to the Bologna University any want of hospitality. Far from this, it was most evident the one desire of the authorities was to do everything in their power to make the festival an agree- able one to their foreign guests. And now that we look back upon the proceedings after a lapse of nearly five months, this personal matter sinks into insignificance beside the grand effect which was produced by the celebration when looked at as a v/hole. It will, therefore, be understood that we have no sympathy with those who were inclined to resent the defect in organisation to which I have referred, as a slight upon themselves or the Universities they repre- sented. The function was not to be regarded from a strictly academic point of view. The reception of the delegates formed a small part of the great festival. The presence of Royalty, and the intimate relationship which had existed so long between the Bologna University and Italian pohtics, rendered the celebration not a mere gathering of representatives from the diflferent learned bodies in Europe, but a great national manifesto—an outburst of sentiment in which outsiders, in many cases, could hardly be expected to participate. On Monday morning, the 11th of June, the King and Queen of Italy, accompanied by the Heir-apparent, the Prince of Naples, entered Bologna, and the festival commenced. Not much of interest took place on that day. In the forenoon the delegates were received by the Sindaco; in the afternoon a fine equestrian statue of King Victor Emanuel II. was unveiled by King Humbert; and in the evening the delegates met with the view of choosing the speech- makers for the ceremony on the ensuing day. This meeting Avas a scene of considerable confusion, owing to the babel of tongues and the difficulty that was experienced in satisfying tlie claims of the different countries. Finally the matter was adjusted to the](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b22279763_0018.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
