Congenital malformations : a historical perspective in a Mediterranean community

Abstract

Many important discoveries have been made in the last five decades in the field of hereditary mechanisms, environmental teratogenesis, prenatal diagnosis and medical/ surgical management of affected individuals with congenital malformations. The Maltese group of islands occupies a central position in the Mediterranean, being only 93 km away from Sicily and 290 km from Northern Africa. This location made the Islands an important meeting place for the various Mediterranean cultures throughout the ages. The history of malformations in the Maltese Islands reflects the cultural links with the mainland Mediterranean. The attitude towards congenital malformations can be divided into two periods - the Period of Superstitious Belief which reflected primitive man’s concepts and prevailed to at least the 17th century; and the Period of Modern Thought which began during the 18th century but made the most progress during the twentieth century.