Enrico Bottini (1835–1903), Italian Physician and Politician

Enrico Bottini (Stradella, Pavia, 7 September 1835 - Porto Maurizio, Sanremo, 11 March 1903) was a multifaceted surgeon, who left a strong mark in modern surgery, not only Italian but worldwide. A pupil of Porta and Ribeti, as well as the distinguished French surgeon and anatomist Charles-Marie-Édouard Chassaignac, he has dedicated himself throughout his career to various areas of medicine, ranging from bacteriology and anti-sepsis (use of a derivative of phenic acid) to urological surgery (the so-called “endo-urethral galva-cauterization”, also called Bottini’s operation, or Perineal incision according to Bottini). He has also successfully dedicated himself to gynecology (trans-vaginal hysterectomy for uterine cancer and surgical treatment of vesicovaginal fistulas), maxillofacial surgery (endo-oral resection of the maxilla, subperiosteal resection of the mandible for the treatment of the stable jaw, total amputation of the larynx and the tongue for carcinomas), the dermosurgery (use of the electrocautery), and the vascular surgery (resection of the inferior vena cava). He was also an important Italian politician, first as a deputy and then as a senator.