The availability of medical records in Malta : an historical retrospect

Abstract

The Maltese Islands consist of Malta (95 sq. miles), Gozo (26 sq. miles) and Comino (1 sq. mile). They are situated in the center of the Mediterranean lying 60 miles distant from the nearest point of Southern Europe represented by Sicily; and 180 miles from Africa. They were first inhabited about 4,000 B.C. having passed later on through various dominations by the great powers that at various periods dominated the Mediterranean, such as the Phoenicians, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, Normans and their successors who reigned over Sicily, the Knights of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem and, at the beginning of the 19th century, the British Monarchy until the Maltese Islands became politically independent in 1964 and a Republic in 1974. Their population is estimated to be 320,000.