President of the Portuguese Medical Association<\/p>\n
In 2007, through the hands of doctors Ferreira de Carvalho and Jos\u00e9 Carlos Marinho, I had the wonderful opportunity to meet Dr. Hermes Castanhas. What, at first, was simple curiosity, quickly turned into deep surprise and uncontainable astonishment.<\/p>\n
The title of this preface was the one that headed the article that Dr. Ferreira de Carvalho published in the Bulletin of the Regional Section of the Center of the Order of Physicians, in the September\/October 2007 issue.<\/p>\n
Without a doubt, the rarest treasure was Dr. Hermes Castanhas himself. For his life trajectory, eclectic personality, ethical practice of medicine, astonishing memory, dazzling vivacity and fabulous collection of rare medical treasures.<\/p>\n
Someone you look at with a hint of healthy envy and think you would also like to have been like that and to one day still be so intellectually well preserved.<\/p>\n
The admiration begins as soon as we enter the gardens of this house with Portuguese colonial design from the end of the 19th century. It\u2019s like going back in history and beginning to enter an almost unreal world from our grandparents\u2019 books.<\/p>\n
But the biggest secrets are kept safe in the attic. A typical attic from our dreams, where at every step we stop to consider every detail and discover a new treasure, a new wonder, a new story.<\/p>\n
Dr. Hermes accompanies us on that magical journey through the past and explains the meaning, function and origin of each piece in his collection. A prodigious memoir that describes all the details of this admirable compilation of historical jewels of medical art!<\/p>\n
It all started with a \u201cdoctor\u2019s stamp\u201d, like those found in public offices, like a white seal. It was like a virus that took hold and never went to sleep. From then on, the collecting fever never left Dr. Hermes Castanhas. He fondly states that he inherited the conservative spirit from his grandfather, Prof. David Francisco de Oliveira. One by one, he built a rare collection of hundreds of medical items, some rescued from rubbish dumps, others forgotten as invalid, and a few acquired for small fortunes.<\/p>\n
Some of the pieces are the object of special affection, such as the Lerebour microscope from 1845, transported to an exhibition in Brazil and which led an astonished German colleague to ask: \u201ctell me how much, tell me how much and I\u2019ll write the check\u201d. Or even a syringe with a micrometric screw that was used to perform lymphograms on patients with elephantiasis by Prof. Ant\u00f3nio Martins, surgeon at the Hospital do Ultramar, and which was found in a locksmith\u2019s shop in Lisbon, passing through one of the first X-ray ampoules that came to Portugal. Smiles are inevitable when faced with a set of irrigators from the beginning of the last century, with the strangest shapes, one of which, in porcelain, \u201coffered\u201d the patient, as soon as he began his presentation, the pleasure of listening to \u201cLe Petit Duc\u201d, the \u201cBoccace Waltz\u201d or another musical excerpt!<\/p>\n
Several authentically carved wooden Pinards and so many, so many other hundreds of obstetric pieces \u2013 the most privileged \u2013 general surgery, orthopedics, stomatology and other specialties that it is worth delighting yourself for hours on end trying to discover what will surprise us the most. Dr. Hermes Castanhas is another excellent example of Abel Salazar\u2019s aphorism, \u201cThe doctor who only knows about medicine, doesn\u2019t even know about medicine\u201d, dedicating himself heart, soul and wallet to the History of theoretical and practical Medicine. His life trajectory honors the History of Medicine and Portuguese doctors.<\/p>\n
Born in 1932, in Vilarinho do Bairro, Anadia, he retired in 2002 from the Aveiro District Hospital, where he was Director of the Obstetrics\/Gynecology Service. He was eternally passionate about practicing his medical specialty and still cherishes the dream of keeping alive hundreds of pieces from the History of Portuguese Medicine, many of which have already been exhibited at various exhibitions: Porto, Coimbra, Algarve, Torre de Bel\u00e9m, Funda\u00e7\u00e3o Calouste Gulbenkian, National Congress of Medicine of the Order of Physicians, Rio de Janeiro. In September 1989, during the E.A.G.O. Congress. (European Association of Gynecology\/Obstetrics), held in Krakow, Poland, in view of the material wealth and the immeasurable knowledge of the collector, he was appointed President of the History of Medicine of this Society.<\/p>\n
This catalogue, which I have the honour of prefacing, presents only some of the pieces in the collection. It whets your appetite for the rest. The real treat would be a visit to the Dr. Hermes House Museum, as he himself so affectionately and appropriately named it.<\/p>\n
The invitation remains.<\/p>\n
One day we will have the Portuguese Medical Association\u2019s Museum of Medical History.[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text module_class=”back-btn” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”||0px||false|false” custom_padding=”9px|12px|5px|12px|false|true” link_option_url=”https:\/\/skope.pt\/en\/historical-timeline\/#year-2010″ hover_enabled=”0″ custom_css_main_element=”width: fit-content;||display: inline-block;||margin-right: 10px;” border_radii=”on|10px|10px|10px|10px” border_width_all=”2px” border_color_all=”#80ABCA” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}” content__hover_enabled=”on|hover” content__hover=”
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Jos\u00e9 Manuel SilvaPresident of the Portuguese Medical Association In 2007, through the hands of doctors Ferreira de Carvalho and Jos\u00e9 Carlos Marinho, I had the wonderful opportunity to meet Dr. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"Dr. Jos\u00e9 Manuel Silva.<\/strong>\r\nBaston\u00e1rio da Ordem dos M\u00e9dicos\r\n\r\nEm 2007, pelas m\u00e3os dos doutores Ferreira de Carvalho e Jos\u00e9 Carlos Marinho, tive a grata oportunidade de conhecer o Dr. Hermes Castanhas. Aquilo que, ao princ\u00edpio, era uma simples curiosidade, transformou-se rapidamente numa profunda surpresa e num incontido espanto.\r\n\r\nO t\u00edtulo deste pref\u00e1cio foi o que encimou o artigo que o Dr. Ferreira de Carvalho publicou no Boletim da Sec\u00e7\u00e3o Regional do Centro da Ordem dos M\u00e9dicos, no n\u00famero de Setembro\/Outubro de 2007.\r\n\r\nSem d\u00favida alguma que a mais rara preciosidade era o pr\u00f3prio Dr. Hermes Castanhas. Pelo seu percurso de vida, personalidade ecl\u00e9tica, exerc\u00edcio \u00e9tico da medicina, espantosa mem\u00f3ria, estonteante vivacidade e fabulosa colec\u00e7\u00e3o de raras preciosidades m\u00e9dicas.\r\n\r\nAlgu\u00e9m para quem se olha com aquela pontinha de saud\u00e1vel inveja e se pensa que tamb\u00e9m se gostaria de ter sido assim e de um dia ainda estarmos intelectualmente t\u00e3o bem conservados.\r\n\r\nA admira\u00e7\u00e3o come\u00e7a logo que entramos nos jardins desta casa de tra\u00e7a colonial portuguesa dos fins do s\u00e9culo XIX. \u00c9 como voltar atr\u00e1s na hist\u00f3ria e come\u00e7armos a entrar num mundo quase irreal dos livros dos nossos av\u00f3s.\r\n\r\nMas os segredos maiores est\u00e3o bem guardados no s\u00f3t\u00e3o. Um s\u00f3t\u00e3o t\u00edpico dos nossos sonhos, onde a cada passo nos vamos detendo em cada pormenor e descobrimos um novo tesouro, um novo assombro, uma nova hist\u00f3ria.\r\n\r\nO Dr. Hermes acompanha-nos naquele roteiro m\u00e1gico de passeio pelo passado e explica o significado, a fun\u00e7\u00e3o e a origem de cada pe\u00e7a da sua colec\u00e7\u00e3o. Prodigiosa mem\u00f3ria que descreve todos os pormenores desta admir\u00e1vel compila\u00e7\u00e3o de hist\u00f3ricas j\u00f3ias da arte m\u00e9dica!\r\n\r\nTudo come\u00e7ou com um \u201ccarimbo de m\u00e9dico\u201d, igual \u00e0queles que se encontram nas reparti\u00e7\u00f5es p\u00fablicas, estilo selo branco. Foi como um v\u00edrus que se instalou e nunca mais adormeceu. A partir da\u00ed a febre do coleccionismo nunca mais abandonou o Dr. Hermes Castanhas. Com carinho, afirma que herdou o esp\u00edrito conservador do seu av\u00f4, o Prof. David Francisco de Oliveira. Uma a uma construiu uma rara colec\u00e7\u00e3o de centenas de pe\u00e7as m\u00e9dicas, algumas resgatadas a dep\u00f3sitos do lixo, outras esquecidas como inv\u00e1lidas, umas tantas adquiridas a troco de pequenas fortunas.\r\n\r\nAlgumas das pe\u00e7as s\u00e3o objecto de um carinho especial, como o microsc\u00f3pio Lerebour de 1845, transportado para uma exposi\u00e7\u00e3o no Brasil e que levou um espantado colega alem\u00e3o a perguntar: \u201cdiga quanto, diga quanto que eu passo o cheque\u201d. Ou ainda uma seringa com parafuso microm\u00e9trico que era utilizada para fazer linfografias a doentes com elefant\u00edase pelo Prof. Ant\u00f3nio Martins, cirurgi\u00e3o no Hospital do Ultramar, e que foi encontrada num serralheiro em Lisboa, passando por uma das primeiras ampolas de RX que veio para Portugal. S\u00e3o inevit\u00e1veis os sorrisos perante um conjunto de irrigadores do in\u00edcio do s\u00e9culo passado, com os mais estranhos formatos, um dos quais, em porcelana, \u201coferecia\u201d ao paciente, assim que iniciava a sua actua\u00e7\u00e3o, o prazer de ouvir \u201cLe Petit Duc\u201d, a \u201cValsa de Boccace\u201d ou outro trecho musical!\r\n\r\nV\u00e1rios Pinard\u2019s autenticamente esculpidos em madeira e tantas, tantas outras centenas de pe\u00e7as de obstetr\u00edcia \u2013 a mais privilegiada \u2013 de cirurgia geral, ortopedia, estomatologia e outras especialidades que vale a pena deliciarmo-nos\/deleitarmo-nos horas a fio a tentar descobrir o que mais nos ir\u00e1 surpreender. O Dr. Hermes Castanhas \u00e9 mais um excelente exemplo do aforismo de Abel Salazar, \u201cO m\u00e9dico que s\u00f3 sabe de medicina, nem de medicina sabe\u201d, dedicando-se de alma, cora\u00e7\u00e3o e carteira \u00e0 Hist\u00f3ria da Medicina te\u00f3rica e pr\u00e1tica. O seu percurso de vida honra a Hist\u00f3ria da Medicina e dos m\u00e9dicos portugueses.\r\n\r\nNascido em 1932, em Vilarinho do Bairro, Anadia, reformou-se em 2002 do Hospital Distrital de Aveiro, onde foi Director do Servi\u00e7o de Obstetr\u00edcia\/Ginecologia. Saiu eternamente apaixonado pelo exerc\u00edcio da sua especialidade m\u00e9dica e acalenta ainda hoje o sonho de manter vivas centenas de pe\u00e7as da Hist\u00f3ria da Medicina Portuguesa, muitas das quais j\u00e1 percorreram diversas exposi\u00e7\u00f5es: Porto, Coimbra, Algarve, Torre de Bel\u00e9m, Funda\u00e7\u00e3o Calouste Gulbenkian, Congresso Nacional de Medicina da Ordem dos M\u00e9dicos, Rio de Janeiro. Em Setembro de 1989, durante o Congresso da E.A.G.O. (European Association of Gynecology\/Obstetrics<\/em>), realizado em Crac\u00f3via, Pol\u00f3nia, em face da riqueza material e do incomensur\u00e1vel saber do coleccionador, foi nomeado Presidente da Hist\u00f3ria da Medicina desta Sociedade.\r\n\r\nEste cat\u00e1logo que tenho a honra de prefaciar apresenta apenas algumas das pe\u00e7as da colec\u00e7\u00e3o. Abre o apetite para o resto. A verdadeira sobremesa seria efectuar uma visita \u00e0 Casa Museu Dr. Hermes, como o pr\u00f3prio t\u00e3o afectuosa e apropriadamente baptizou.\r\n\r\nFica o convite.\r\n\r\nUm dia teremos o Museu de Hist\u00f3ria da Medicina da Ordem dos M\u00e9dicos.","_et_gb_content_width":"","_price":"","_stock":"","_tribe_ticket_header":"","_tribe_default_ticket_provider":"","_tribe_ticket_capacity":"0","_ticket_start_date":"","_ticket_end_date":"","_tribe_ticket_show_description":"","_tribe_ticket_show_not_going":false,"_tribe_ticket_use_global_stock":"","_tribe_ticket_global_stock_level":"","_global_stock_mode":"","_global_stock_cap":"","_tribe_rsvp_for_event":"","_tribe_ticket_going_count":"","_tribe_ticket_not_going_count":"","_tribe_tickets_list":"[]","_tribe_ticket_has_attendee_info_fields":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[50],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6015","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-historical-timeline"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/skope.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6015","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/skope.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/skope.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/skope.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/skope.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6015"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/skope.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6015\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6099,"href":"https:\/\/skope.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6015\/revisions\/6099"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/skope.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6015"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/skope.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6015"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/skope.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6015"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}