At the service of Medicine: origins of the subject of Chemistry in the Historical Compendium of the University of Coimbra (1771)

Abstract

This study aims to contribute to the discussion on the origins of the subject of Chemistry and its institutionalization in the educational field. The methodology is based on documentary research. The analytical procedure was carried through content analysis of the Historical Compendium of the University of Coimbra and parameterized by those references that deal with the history of the school subjects. The analyses produced the final categories teaching of Chemistry and contents of Chemistry, made of terms that, both by their definition and through the teaching contents generated throughout history, express characteristics that link the use of Chemistry to the studies of Medicine. Findings show that the Chemistry-related contents found in the Compendium have a seminal character, manifesting aspects of Chemistry’s genesis and implementation as a school subject. The conclusion indicates that the origin of the school subject of Chemistry is justified by its importance for the higher studies of Medicine, which reveal one of the purposes that majorly influenced its institutionalization in the educational field.