This paper evaluates the work of the French philosopher G. Canguilhem on the relationship of the concepts of health, normality, disease and pathology. Canguilhem's critique of the positivistic approach on the dichotomy normalpathological is considered unsatisfactory, because it reinforces the disjunction quantitative-qualitative. The distinction between normality and health, as well as the conception of health as normative capacity, is analysed. Finally, his pioneer ethical reflection on genetic engineering and his distinction between private, subjective health and public health are presented, pointing to the need for epistemological researches on the health concept.
Health; normality; epistemology; Canguilhem