Born in
Capua (
Campania, then part of the
Kingdom of Naples), he graduated early in Literature and Philosophy, Veterinary Science and, finally, in Medicine and Surgery. In 1848 he fought in the
Bourbon army against the
Risorgimento riots of 1848. However, his help to wounded went against the Royal orders, and he risked to be executed for insubordination. He declared: This declaration is believed to be one of the first related to the main "help principles" of the
Red Cross. Thanks to the intervention of King
Ferdinand II, the sentence was commuted to one year in prison jail in
Reggio Calabria. In 1865 he was appointed as Professor of Surgical Chemistry at the University of Naples and in 1883 he was among the founders of the Italian Surgical Society. During the
Expedition of Thousand, Palasciano fought at the "Battle of Volturnus", taking care of wounded Borbonic soldiers. Two years after, he worked on the other side of the trenches, since he was called by
Giuseppe Garibaldi to cure a
malleolus wound that he received while fighting on the
Aspromonte mountains. The two made friends and started an epistolary correspondence now housed in the museum of
San Martino, Naples. He was also a member of the
Italian Chamber of Deputies and
Senate, and counsellor at the
comune of Naples. Around 1886 Palasciano developed
dementia. He died in 1891 and was buried in the square of illustrious figure in
Poggioreale Cemetery,
Naples. ==See also==