Doenças tropicais: da ciência dos valores à valorização da ciência na determinação climática de patologias Tropical diseases: from the science of values to praise of science on the climatic determination of pathologies

A medicina e as observações científicas incorporam noções de valores culturais associados aos aspectos climáticos para definir um grupo nosológico específico denominado "doenças tropicais", "patologia dos climas quentes" ou ainda "doenças exóticas". Pretendemos resgatar neste estudo a relevância do aspecto climático na definição de patologias, enfatizando as interseções ideológicas, políticas e culturais que contribuíram para a formulação de correntes de pensamento preocupadas em discutir cientificamente a importância do clima na construção ideológica de um "mundo particular", os trópicos.<br>Microbiology as we know, has given the theoretical and methodological elements to set up and evaluate the concept of "tropical disease", to confirm and establish it. Tropical Medicine is known today as a science dealing with parasites and infections, the most common causes of health affections throughout the intertropical zone of the globe. Due to a wider identification of these infections, this speciality has increased its scope, the infections having a natural diversity in the tropics. The vision of the tropics, which the main component included the climatic determination of disease, is decreased today by the concept that diseases are on a social and economic basis, as well as ecologically set up. This interpretation which highlights the physical and natural determinants of disease, tends to place climatic, geographic and biological factors on the same level, reducing man to the animal interaction plan and turning culture and society as another way of the environment