Introduction

The Research Institute on the History of Biomedical Thought (Centro Studi sulla Storia del Pensiero Biomedico - CESPEB-) intends to investigate closely the knowledge of the history and the progress of biomedical thought, for understanding, through the analysis of the past, the present and for supposing upcoming developments in medicine and in public health.

The main target of CESPEB is the promotion, in a interdisciplinary view, of historical, epistemological, anthropological and social studies in biomedicine.

It was born from the requirements noticed by the three founding members (University of Milano-Bicocca, San Gerardo Hospital in Monza and the city of Monza) to promote investigations and multidisciplinary meeting, supporting the development of the research in this field as an excellent component in the academic teaching, as a distinct element of hospital mission and, finally, as a peculiar feature of local cultural program.

During the past times, Modern Western Medicine, that is founded on biological sciences (for this reason it is defined as "biomedicine"), has undergone deep ideological changes. The analysis of the history and the progress of biomedical thought is essential to understand present problems of medicine and public health. It is an important occasion for a dialectic comparison on current scientific and bioethical problems and for a careful consideration on traditional medicines and on the increasing use of Complementary Medicines.

Under the scientific direction of Vittorio A. Sironi, physician, historian and anthropologist, professor of History of Medicine at the University of Milano-Bicocca, helped by a qualified scientific committee, CESPEB intends to work as research and documental centre to promote and organize events - meetings, debates, seminars, conferences, congresses - and cultural exchanges at national and international level. Moreover it wants to work as historical archive to collect and catalogue bibliographic material - documents, books, reviews, research papers - on history of medicine for its preservation and reference and to save archival and instrumental heritage of local and national medical tradition, for promoting expositions and displays. Finally, CESPEB is a teaching and research centre on medicine, biomedical thought and bioethics history, for supporting formation events opened to all figures involved in these studies and in health practices.

Board of directors is presided by Giancarlo Cesana, full professor at the Chair of Hygiene at the University of Milano-Bicocca, and it is composed by councilors Enzo Vigutto (San Gerardo Hospital in Monza) and Stefano Carugo (city of Monza). Michele Riva is the Scientific Secretary.