Ricardo de Almeida Jorge

ricardo de almeida jorge amélia ricon ferraz. arq med 2008;22:91-100. on the 150th anniversary of the birth of ricardo de almeida jorge (1858-1939), it was necessary to pay tribute to such remarkable personality of portuguese medicine. a man of great learning and wisdom, he could speak and write about the most diverse topics on medicine as well as on biology, philosophy, pedagogy or scientific, historic and literary criticism. university professor, municipal doctor, founder and director of various state-run organisations, he succeeded, due to his good judgement and meticulous methodology, in sensitising public authorities in order to improve the theory and practice of hygiene and public health in portugal. his reputation has gone beyond national boundaries and today ricardo jorge’s work, particularly in the field of epidemiology, has gained international recognition. the late 19th century breakthroughs in the field of microbiology dramatically transformed modern medical science particularly preventive medicine. a global perspective was necessary in order to understand the importance of ricardo de almeida jorge’s life and work.