“A mali estremi, estremi rimedi”

The Story Behind It

This proverb is the Italian form of a principle found in classical medicine, law, and rhetoric: that the severity of the remedy should match the severity of the condition. The Latin 'Extremis malis extrema remedia' appears in medical texts by Hippocrates and was widely cited by Renaissance physicians who justified radical surgical interventions — amputation, cauterization — on the grounds that the alternative was certain death. The Italian proverb inherits this medical logic and applies it across all domains of life. It is recorded in Italian collections from the sixteenth century and was particularly associated with political philosophy: Machiavelli's writings explore the same idea, justifying extraordinary political measures in extraordinary circumstances. The proverb carries a certain moral weight, since it acknowledges that extreme remedies are normally undesirable and are only justified by the gravity of the situation. In contemporary use it is invoked to justify everything from radical diets to emergency surgery to political upheaval. The English equivalent 'Desperate times call for desperate measures' captures the same logic.

Derives from Hippocratic medical principle 'Extremis malis extrema remedia'; widely cited in Renaissance medical and political texts.

Examples in Use

Themes