The past twenty years have seen a renewal of interest in bio-medical explanations of crime, a resurgence I likely to grow in intensity with work on the human genome. However, little is known about the origins of such theories, which lie in the work of the Italian physician and psychiatrist, Cesare Lombroso (d. 1909). This ' project will prepare a new, critical translation of Lombroso's classic work, """"""""L'uomo delinquente"""""""" (Criminal Man), published in 1876 and revised four times by 1897. Most famous for elaborating the theory of the atavistic and epileptic """"""""born criminal,"""""""" this book dominated criminological discussion in Europe, North and South American, and parts of Asia from the 1880s into the early twentieth century. It remains historically important as the first publication to bring scientific methods to bear on the study of crime. Despite its worldwide impact, """"""""Criminal Man"""""""" has never been translated into English. Only a summary exists, compiled by Lombroso's daughter after his death. The proposed new translation will draw from all five of the original Italian editions and follow the development of Lombroso's theory and methods. It will also include a scholarly introduction, drawing on original research into Lombroso's papers housed at the Medical School at the University of Turin. This new edition will establish Lombroso as a pivotal figure in the history of medicine, who introduced hereditarian theory, clinical research, and therapeutic methods of punishment into the fields of law and criminology.
