Corpus loquens: the speaking body and Abele De Blasio (1858-1945)

This article provides a comprehensive overview of the work of Abele De Blasio (1858-1945), a pol-yhedral and eclectic figure of physician who cultivated a wide range of interests, from cultural an-thropology and ethnology to botanics, chemistry and dentistry. In particular, De Blasio is recog-nized as one of the founders and one of the most important representatives of Italian criminal an-thropology, thanks to his thorough knowledge and historical culture. He challenged the strict bio-medical paradigm of the period and combined a scientific and rigorous approach with a humanistic Weltanschauung, conjugating disciplines, such as archeology and psychopathology with biology, in such a way to give birth to a unique, innovative interdisciplinary approach. He applied this method, for example, when investigating deviant behaviors or when analyzing populations' customs and hab-its. He also studied trepanation and he considered analyzing the skull as the best way to investigate the different aspects of human life.