Discurso médico, saúde pública e estratégias políticas para “Uma quest o palpitante do tempo actual” : a emergência da luta contra o cancro em Portugal (1904-1923)

The present article approaches the scientifi c and political context that where in the origin of the institutionalization of the fight against cancer in Portugal over the first quarter of the 20th century. One stresses the emerging medical speech, the main medical theories, as well as the first statistical studies that prompted doctors and politicians to coordenate the fight against cancer. Although there were moments of medical tension and political disinterest, the project was materialized in 1923, with the establishment of the Instituto Português Para o Estudo do Cancro.