Giancarlo Buccheri
Giancarlo Buccheri crossed the threshold of the spiritual world on 7 April 2020 having been affected severely by Covid-19 for four weeks. Until the end he had worked as an anthroposophic physician in Milan (IT).
At the age of five Giancarlo Buccheri contracted the then widespread poliovirus and when he was twelve he suffered from severe appendicitis. Around that time he expressed a strong wish to learn German and this led him, at the age of 17, to spend some time abroad, at Weleda in Germany, where he not only learned German but also got to know anthroposophy. Only after returning home did he discover books by Rudolf Steiner in his mother’s library.
After attending medical school in Turin (IT), he worked at the Ita Wegman Hospital in Arlesheim (CH) from 1975 until 1977. He was one of the first anthroposophic physicians in Italy.
With Sacha, his Dutch wife, he had a family with three children and six grandchildren.
He translated Rudolf Steiner’s first medical course (GA 312) into Italian. During this course, on 7 April 1920, Rudolf Steiner described a constellation of Mars, Jupiter and Saturn that is conducive to epidemic respiratory infections, a constellation that was also observed in March and April 2020.
Giving Anthroposophic Medicine a face
Giancarlo Buccheri’s energetic will forces and loyalty to anthroposophy informed his life’s work. Within him, spiritual certainty, determination and the power of conviction were nobly united with a warm, sensitive humanity. For many years he served as president of the anthroposophic medical society (Sima) in Italy. It was thanks to his far-sighted and committed involvement that anthroposophic medicine grew during that time in Italy, both in numbers and in substance, and that it became increasingly visible in public. From 1991 until 2007 he was president of the International Federation of Anthroposophic Medical Associations (IVAA) which he newly built up from the ground as an organization that provided a firm legal and political foundation for anthroposophic medicine. He gave this medicine a face in Europe and was able to gain the trust of politicians, authorities and partners in complementary medicine.
In Italy he founded an umbrella organization for complementary medicine which he also represented in the health ministry in Rome (IT). With his colleagues he worked intensively on the Vademecum for Anthroposophic Medicines and made sure that it was translated into Italian. After a few years on the Weleda Group’s board of directors he devoted himself in his final seven years to founding the Fondazione Antroposofica Milanese, the biggest anthroposophical centre in Italy, of which he was also the president.
Spiritual impulses
Giancarlo Buccheri always united anthroposophic medicine with general anthroposophy and with the School of Spiritual Science. For many years he was branch leader and Class holder in Milan (IT). In his final years he strongly promoted the free rendering of Class Lessons.
For 33 years he headed the Medical Section in Italy. Edizioni Minerva Medica recently published the book Clinica Medica Anthroposofica, which Giancarlo edited and co-wrote and which can be seen as his spiritual legacy.
After four weeks in intensive care and full isolation he crossed the threshold at sunrise on the day of the Easter full moon.