Abstract

This paper examines the relationship between medicine and justice in the management of public health during the Republic of Venice. It explores the emergency measures taken to combat outbreaks, which involved a partnership between medical experts and political authorities. However, this partnership extended beyond epidemics, requiring a complex interplay of authorities in administering social life. The Venetian Republic was a crucial setting for the development of modern health management, which prioritized social control and public order over prevention and care. The paper notes that this collaboration between medicine and justice extended to regulating deviant behaviors, such as violence and non-normative sexuality. Ultimately, medicine was subordinated to politics and the protection of the community.