A Little History from The Salerno Center

Dr. John P. Salerno, as we all know, is the founder of The Salerno Center, in New York City. He is an American born medical doctor with strong Italian roots. Roots so strong, he has a whole city and medical school named after him in Salerno, Italy. Some say his ancestors had some involvement with the medical school, however, that is yet to be confirmed.

Schola Medica Salernitana was the world’s first medical school. It sits on the Tyrrhenian Sea in the beautiful city of Salerno, in southern Italy. It is renowned for its medical practitioners because of their elite level of mastery in their field. This prestigious medical school dates back to the 9th century and was at the height of popularity from the ninth through the thirteenth century.

Many people from all over the world came to “Schola Salerni”. Some were students wanting to attend and learn at this most prestigious medical school. Others came to find treatments and cures for their ailments and illness. Also, it was their phenomenal book collection and medical training that made this school the top in the world. Along with that, the tradition was strong with Greek- Latin medical training. In addition, they also merged with Jewish and Arab traditions, making it only more diverse in its teachings, and adding to this great legend.

While we still haven’t discovered what role Dr. Salerno’s ancestors might have played in this famous medical school, we do believe the two could have possibly been linked in some way or another.