P. C. (Peter Charles) Remondino

author

P. C. (Peter Charles) Remondino

1846–1926

An Italian-born physician who built much of his life and career in San Diego, he wrote vividly on medicine, public health, and social questions of his time. He is best remembered today for a controversial 1891 study on the history of circumcision and for his role in early civic medicine in Southern California.

1 Audiobook

History of circumcision from the earliest times to the present : Moral and physical reasons for its performance, with a history of eunuchism, hermaphrodism, etc., and of the different operations practiced upon the prepuce

History of circumcision from the earliest times to the present : Moral and physical reasons for its performance, with a history of eunuchism, hermaphrodism, etc., and of the different operations practiced upon the prepuce

by P. C. (Peter Charles) Remondino

About the author

Born in Turin, Italy, in 1846, he came to the United States as a child and went on to train in medicine. He served as a surgeon during the Civil War and later during the Franco-Prussian War, building a long medical career that eventually stretched across more than five decades.

After settling in San Diego, he became an important figure in the city’s early health system. He was the first president of the San Diego Board of Health and helped found one of the city’s first private hospitals, combining medical practice with a strong interest in public affairs and local history.

As a writer, he published books and articles on a wide range of subjects. The best known is History of Circumcision from the Earliest Times to the Present (1891), a work that reflects both his curiosity and the medical beliefs of his era. For modern listeners, his work offers a window into nineteenth-century medicine in all its ambition, energy, and contradiction.