Memórias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Fiocruz ISSN: 1678-8060 EISSN: 1678-8060 Vol. 99, Num. 2, 2004, pp. 237

Mem Inst Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, Vol. 99, No. 2, March, 2004, pp. 237

BOOK REVIEW

Dictionnaire de la Pensée Médicale

José Rodrigues Coura

Editor of Memórias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Av. Brasil 4365, 21045-900 Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil Fax: +55-21-2280.5048/2561.1442 E-mail: coura@ioc.fiocruz.br

Code Number: oc04043

The Dictionnaire de la Pensée Medicale, was published by the Presse Universitaire de France (6 Avennue Reille 75014 Paris), in January 2004, under the coordination of Dominique Lecourt, Professor of the University of Paris VII. The scientific board is composed by François Delaporte, Patrice Pinell, and Christiane Sinding, respectively from the University of Picardie-Jules-Vernes and from the research directory of Inserm. This publication is undoubtly a masterpiece of the history and philosophy of medicine in the beggining of the XXI century.

Written by famous physicians, biologists, surgeons, pediatricians, nutritionists, veterinaries, psychologists, psychiatrists, sociologists, antropologists, philosophers, historians, jurists, and economists from France and other foreign countries, including Brazil, it will be a work of reference for several years, due to its extent, depth, and diversity in the medical and biomedical areas, not only for its scientific, historical, and phylosophical aspects but mainly for the evolution of ideas, ethicts, and culture in the "world of health".

Containing 1270 pages written by nearly 200 authors from the most varied specialties, this dictionary is composed of 295 notes/articles, from three to four pages, and more than 2000 key words. Only three Brazilian researchers participated in this work: Ana Lucia Risson dos Santos, Associate Professor of the University of Picardie-Jules-Vernes, who wrote about Obesity; Fernando Dias de Ávila Pires, from Fiocruz and Univesity of Santa Catarina, who wrote about Ecology; and José Rodrigues Coura, from the Department of Tropical Medicine, Oswaldo Cruz Institute-Fiocruz, who wrote about Epidemiology, focusing its evolution from Hippocrates and Aristotle to our days.

Copyright 2004 Instituto Oswaldo Cruz - Fiocruz.