Public health of Medicine and Politics: proposals for Ribeiro Sanches in Enlightenment's Portugal

Abstract

Based on the analysis of the Portuguese physician Antônio Nunes Ribeiro Sanches’ intellectual production, this article seeks to investigate how his reformist proposals for the Portuguese population health preservation were appropriate and engendered public health policies, many of them implemented by the Intendência Geral da Polícia. For this purpose, it is necessary to inquire into the Enlightenment movement in eighteenth century’s second half - context of Sanches’ works - paying attention to the debates about the potential uses of scientific knowledge. Therefore we aim to understand how public health conjugated scientific issues - the consolidation of medical knowledge as a science - and political issues – the strengthening of Portuguese monarchy’s power.