Richard Marfuggi, MD, DMH: A Man of Science, A Man of Desire: Samuel Pozzi in the Belle Époque

MHSNJ Zoom Program—Tuesday, October 21, 2025, 7 pm
Speaker:         Richard Marfuggi, MD, DMH
Topic:             A Man of Science, A Man of Desire: Samuel Pozzi in the Belle Époque

Dr. Marfuggi has submitted the following summary of his talk:

The history of Medicine is filled with stories of colorful practitioners and patients. Perhaps one of the more colorful practitioners is Samuel Pozzi. Not only is he credited with pioneering the field of gynecology in France, but he is also known by the moniker Dr. Love.

 Pozzi cannot be pigeon-holed, as his prodigious medical talents were matched by his political, military, aesthetic, and amorous pursuits. This presentation will, I trust, take you on a romp through his life, punctuated with multiple tangents that reflect the facets of his extraordinary life.

About the speaker:

Dr. Marfuggi, a retired board-certified plastic surgeon, is a past president of the Medical History Society of New Jersey. He holds a Doctor of Medical Humanities degree. He has previously served in numerous professional capacities, including Medical Director of the National Student Leadership Conference (NSLC) on Medicine and Health Care, Medical Director of the WBB Research Institute (WBBRI), member of the Foreign Policy Association (FPA), Commissioner of the American Medical Association Foundation (AMAF), and presenter at the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR). Dr. Marfuggi's interests, presentations, and publications focus on medical education, medical ethics, the American healthcare system, past and current pandemics, health equity, emerging biomedical technologies, and medical history.

A proud dilettante, Marfuggi is an avid reader and needleworker, as well as a patron of the theater and opera. He recently retired from the Metropolitan Opera after a 25-year career as an artistic supernumerary that included nearly 1,000 performances in over a dozen operas.