The first of the article's three goals is to provide an overview of the process by which the teaching and practice of medicine has evolved and been institutionalized in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil's southernmost state. In doing so, it considers prevailing principles and criteria regarding professional and social excellence, along with the hierarchical structure and recruiting of its elite. The second goal is to point out the main changes that have occurred in the composition of the teaching staff since its formation. Lastly, the article discusses some of the bases of the so-called medical crisis.
medical training; recruitment of the elite; medical crisis; Rio Grande do Sul