EDITOR'S NOTE
On January 19, we commemorated the tenth anniversary of the Casa de Oswaldo Cruz with a party animated by the sounds of the Rio Jazz Orchestra. The setting was Pasteur Square an open space lying between Fiocruz's national heritage site buildings decorated that night to somewhat evoke an atmosphere reminiscent of Paris.
On this occasion, Oscar Niemeyer presented us with his model of the Casa de Oswaldo Cruz's Museum of Life Center for Scientific and Cultural Dissemination. In his unique style bold yet light Brazil's greatest architect has bridged Brasil Avenue, an eight-lane freeway, and embraced in one sweep both Fiocruz campuses and the city of Rio de Janeiro. The exotic and enchanting Manguinhos Castle that contributed so much to fueling the imagination of Brazil's budding field of science has found in this audacious project an ideal partner through which to reflect on the past and the future, on science and society.
The anniversary party was well under way, infused with a spirit of nostalgia, when a violent summer thunderstorm suddenly hit. Strong winds slashed the campus, toppling trees, cutting power, partially flooding adjacent areas and keeping guests prisoners at Manguinhos until well past midnight. Seeking shelter in the historical buildings known as the Stable and the Plague Pavilion, 'survivors' succumbed to a childish sense of adventure and complicity which began to intermix with growing apprehension at the prospect of spending the entire night stuck there in isolation and discomfort. Many of us were reminded of images from Buñuel's The Exterminating Angel.
For me, what prevailed at the end was a sense of friendship, of a history that has been so vital and meaningful to so many. The Manguinhos Castle and Niemeyer's architecture in one same stream of time; the echoes of music; childlike excitement within a temple of science; and the rain a sign of renewal, of new challenges.
We have always made it a point that História, Ciências, Saúde Manguinhos, is part and parcel of this atmosphere. We are pleased to see our journal substantive and handsome making its own unique contribution in this year of celebration.
Because of the quality of the articles submitted, this issue of Manguinhos dedicates much space to the department "Analysis," embellished with illustrations essential to some texts. Also noteworthy is inclusion of the National Research Council's seal, a meaningful sign of how our journal is winning ever wider recognition and solidifying its reputation.
Paulo Gadelha
Publication Dates
-
Publication in this collection
25 July 2006 -
Date of issue
Feb 1996
