The role of media as intermediaries among scientists, authorities and population during the 1906 eruption of Vesuvius volcano, Italy - a case history.

Abstract

The 1906 eruption was certainly the more violent eruption of Vesuvius in the 1900’s. Lava effusion was followed by explosive phases and many towns and villages were partially destroyed, by building collapse due to the accumulation of pyroclastic deposits. The city of Naples itself was seriously damaged. The official number of victims was 227. A government commission was appointed to organize relief actions to injured population, and a popular relief fund was opened. During and after the eruption many distinguished scientists - as A. Lacroix, H. Johnston – Lavis, T. Jaggar – visited the volcano, giving well described scientific accounts, but Raffaele Matteucci, director of Osservatorio Vesuviano, with his honorary assistant, Frank A. Perret, and Giuseppe Mercalli, professor at Naples University, were directly involved in the emergency management. A wide press survey has been carried out to investigate the complex and critical interaction amongst scientists, civil authorities, journalists and population, so this work is focused not on a scientific description of the 1906 Vesuvius eruption, but on the role of different actors that occurred during that emergency.