Abstract

JACO-VILELA, Ana Maria; ESPIRITO SANTO, Adriana Amaral do  and  PEREIRA, Vivian Ferraz Studart. Forensic medicine in the theses of Medical School in Rio de Janeiro (1830-1930): the encounter between medicine and law, one of the conditions to the emergence of juridical psychology. Interações [online]. 2005, vol.10, n.19, pp. 9-34. ISSN 1413-2907.

Psychiatry was constituted within forensic medicine in Brazil. In this context, this paper analyzes theses in forensic medicine which were submitted to the Medical School in Rio de Janeiro between 1832 to1930. During these years, the development of a thesis was a mandatory requirement for students to conclude their medicine course and obtain their medical degree. This paper analyzes seminal European ideas on psychiatry - particularly the ones by Pinel, Morel and Lombroso - and their application in the theses. It also examines notions the ways in which the social role of doctors are featured in these theses. The onset of the Judiciary Insane Asylum in Brazil is briefly presented, followed by the genesis of the field of forensic psychology - an instrument that helped psychiatrists to determine not only defendants" or criminals" characteristics, but also characteristics of patients and children.

Keywords : Theses at the medical school; Forensic medicine; Psychiatry; Forensic psychology; Degeneration.

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