The importance of teaching legal medicine

Abstract

The author makes a study on the origin of Legal Medicine all over the world, showing the importance of the Carolina Constitution, which establish the proof through the information from experts, standing the Legal Appraisal. He shows the meaning of Abroise Paré's work in France and the magnificent performance of Paolo Zacchia's work, who collected, under the ruling of Inocêncio X, all the existing information into a real corpus juris of Legal Medicine. Therefore, he emphasizes the participation of Italy, France and Germany naming Paolo Zacchias the "Father of Legal Medicine". Also, the author makes a historical retrospect about the study of Legal Medicine in Brazil, which began with the arrival of the portuguese royal family in Brazil and got more distinction with the foundstation of the Faculdade de Medicina da Bahia (Medicine College of Bahia), that it, Academia Anatômica e Cirúrgica (Surgery and Anatomy Academy). Yet, the author has evaluated the participation of the creation of the odl world colleges of medicine, which introduced the Legal Medicine Subject, and the importance os congresses in Itali and France in the creation os Legal Medicine courses in Law colleges with the participation of several professors that demended the teaching of such subject to Law studentes. Much attention is paid to the study of Legal Medicine pointing out to the essays by Soriano de Souza in Pernambuco, Nina Rodrigues in Bahia and Agostinho de Sousa Lima in Rio de Janeiro, as weel as other professors like Flamínio Fávero in São Paulo and others throughout Brazil. The authot has showed, in conclusion, the relevance of Legal Medicine to Law studentes, although finding it surprising that near the end of the twentieth century tha importance is still doubted.