Alfonso Giordano

Alfonso Giordano (Lercara Friddi, 11 January 1843 – Lercara Friddi, 15 July 1915) was an Italian Doctor and humanist, and one of the Pioneers of occupational medicine, who highlighted the squalid work conditions of the Sulfur Mines of Lercara Friddi. He also served as Mayor of Lercara Friddi.

Early life

Alfonso Maria Giordano was born in Lercara Friddi on 11 January 1843, the son of Giuseppe Giordano (1803–1883), a doctor, and Donna Anna Miceli (1807–1887), a noblewoman. He was their 4th child. His parents both came from well-established Lercarese families, with the Giordano family having been present in Lercara since the early 18th century, after the arrival of Giovanni Giordano and his wife Angiola Lummina of Siracusa. The family can still be found in Lercara to this day. His father, Giuseppe, was one of the 'decurioni' (Municipal Administrators) of Lercara Friddi, from 1836 to 1840, serving alongside several notable Lercaresi, such as Gaetano Anzalone, Vincenzo Bongiovanni, Calcedonio Catalano, and Salvatore Sartorio.

Career He practiced his profession in his hometown, and had inherited some Sulfur Mines from his father. Being in daily contact with the working class of the mines, he decided to provide them daily care and began to study mining hygiene at the University of Palermo. He eventually became the first Sicilian to obtain a lectureship in mining hygiene, and taught for over a decade at the University of Palermo. He also argued for, and attempted to document with the limited means available at the time, the existence among sulfur miners of a disease he called “theapneumoconiosis,” caused—similarly to what had been observed in coal mines—by the accumulation of particles of the yellow mineral in the lung tissue, often with fatal consequences. He was an advocate for legal regulations that, at the time, established limits on mining labor. He maintained an active scientific correspondence with the great Louis Pasteur, becoming his friend and, through his intervention, receiving an honorary degree in mining hygiene in Paris. He also served twice as Mayor of Lercara Friddi.