Abstract
After early childhood in the North-Bohemian birthplace, Cantani (by then called Arnold) spent the years 1842-1864 in Prague where his father worked as a physician to an Imperial Altgrave of Salm. Despite of literary talent he began to study law but soon he switched to the Faculty of Medicine, Charles-Ferdinand University.
During studies he published articles on mostly botanical themes in the periodicals Lotos and Obrazy života. He achieved the doctor's degrees in medicine (1860) and surgery (1863).
Since 1861 he worked as extern and intern, resp., at the Ist medical clinic of Prague General Hospital with its head, a co-founder of the so-called Prague medical school and his very mentor Anton Jaksch. He contributed excerpts and summaries from Italian works to the Časopis lékařů českých and, on the other hand, reports on therapeutic methods in Prague to the Italian press.
The translation of Niemeyer's Lehrbuch into Italian as well as an accidental encounter with Prof. Salvatore Tommasi in Prague brought him appointment as extraordinary professor of pharmacology and toxikology in Pavia, thus making his dream of homecoming to the country of paternal ancestors to come true