THE FOUNDING OF THE STUDY GROUP FOR THE MEDICO-PSYCHOLOGICAL HISTORY OF OUR SPECIALITIES

Knowing that all the medical specialities of the world are concerned with finding out about their beginnings, with spreading that particular practical knowledge and learning from experience and from previous historical stages in their evolution, today we have aligned to these interests in iatro-history (from iatros=physician; & history=science of the events going on from the beginnings until the present moment).

Thus, at the General Assembly of the RSCANP in September 2011,  at the 12th Congress from Poiana Brasov, Dr. Constantin LUPU proposed to establish a working section which should  also study the chronological aspects in the development of our specialties. This concern may include aspects of neuropsychiatric iatro-history, the evocation of predecessors from Romania and from abroad, and of various institutions and significant events. The presentation of  the current situation  represents our wealth that could be explored and used in teaching the future generations of specialists. In the history of our psychiatry, we benefit from the works of the conference dedicated to the celebration of 150th  anniversary since the founding of psychiatry in Romania, the first National Conference of the History of Psychiatry in Romania, organized by Prof. Dr. G. Coruţiu from the Medical University of Oradea as well as from the multiple presentation materials and evocations of psychiatrists for adults, children and teenagers offered by Prof. Dr. St. Miles, Dr. C. Lupu, Dr. St. Kecskemeti, etc.

They may be important data for potential Romanian and international iatro-history sessions is huge, so we have an open chapter, with many lessons to teach and many perspectives for future development.  In our country we have the Romanian Society for the History of Medicine (Srima) chaired by Prof. Dr. M. Mark, based in Bucharest at the Romanian Medical Association. This association has monthly meetings and gathers information about the history of all medical specialties and associated professions.

Now, when  a new Health Act is being discussed, it would be time to ask that a Consultative Commission of Neurology, Psychiatry and allied professions dedicated to child and adolescent the Ministry of Health should be established  within the frame of the Ministry of Health. Problems concerning the mental health and the pathology of these developmental ages need to become a topic of major interest to the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education and other ministries. Pediatrics and CANP have become poor and marginalized children of the Romanian healthcare system. It is up to us, and to you, how we shall be valued professionally and how we shall agree among ourselves in order to perform a proper activity, which  the national authorities would acknowledge and support.

Those who founded our specialties: paediatric neurology, child and adolescent psychiatry, psychology, speech therapy, special psycho-pedagogy, neuropsychiatric genetics, recovery and rehabilitation of children and adolescents with disabilities or with dis-adaptation periods, and those among us who have built and continued the work of our founders, we are history, we build our specialties further. We continue, associate and establish, besides the basic specialties, other areas that we benefit from such as: imaging, neuro-biochemistry, psychotronics, genetics and genomics of neuropsychic diseases. Each of us knows that wherever there is a child and adolescent neurology and psychiatry team, there is also a history, a story, a legend about life, hardships and events. It is important to know how different specialist issues and the administrative work in these places have been solved.

From the iatro-history materials of our specialties, we can learn about biological and psychological background of the child population and about the effects on the somatic and mental repercussions on the development of future generations. Further important material may be presented on the recent history of the practices in surgeries, county departments or university clinical departments, on the recent history of using MRI, MR Spectroscopy and other techniques of investigation and treatment.

The iatro-history Group (I.H.) will promote communication among peers of updated medical psychological, speech therapy and recovery data, in this era of over- technologization and of new methods of psychotherapy.

The founding of the I.H.Group has been accomplished by 34 colleagues in the country as founding members, who decided that this circle should work within RSCANP and of allied professions. The list of reporting members and supporters remains open especially for colleagues who will bring I.H. materials, reports, articles, posters, photographs, original documents, translations and reviews of magazines and books, etc..

So far, important materials have been published in our journal, such as articles on the establishment of specialty, INP in Romania: Dr. Florica Bagdasar, review of the INP conferences of up to 1990 and the presentation of the congresses following that year is under preparation.

Knowing that we, now, continue to build our history further, we forecast that I.H. materials will keep on coming for publication. This I.H. Group will help us be united around the group of specialties and thus achieve  something good and sustainable in our country.

For us, iatro-history is an act of medical culture. Iatro-culture is also a tribute to our predecessors and colleagues, who have shown dedication, professionalism and love for children and youth along their careers and to whom we owe feelings of gratitude for their work.

Correspondence to:
Child and Adolescent Neurology and Psychiatry Clinic 7, Corbului street, Timisoara axiniacorches@yahoo.com