Luiz Antônio de Castro Santos: legacy for Public Health, Social Sciences and the History of Public Health in BrazilIn challenging times marked by growing tensions within and outside the country, as well as authoritarian discourse and practices, the death of Luiz Antônio de Castro Santos on July 4, 2025, at the age of 80, is a great loss. A sociologist and one of the most important exponents of the social and health sciences, Castro Santos left a legacy of research and reflection that Physis is honored to honor in this editorial, revisiting key moments in his biography and the contributions that shaped his trajectory at the Institute of Social Medicine (Instituto de Medicina Social, UERJ) and other collaborating institutions.
His career was a testament to the profound interconnection between historical sociology and Public Health. In the 1980s, when historical sociology was still hesitant to establish links between public health and Brazilian history, Castro Santos was a pioneer. His early writings on health reforms in São Paulo and Bahia in the early 20th century were made public. Based on his doctoral dissertation defended at Harvard in 1987, these works were groundbreaking in tracing the relationships between health, social thought, and health policies in Brazil. Since then, Castro Santos’s work has become a landmark, paving the way for a new line of historical scholarship and deepening knowledge on crucial issues for historians and social scientists investigating Brazilian public health and social thought. His contributions were equally relevant to sanitarians and researchers in Public and Collective Health, enriching and expanding the debate in the field.
From the Institute of Social Medicine, Castro Santos built a vast body of work in the historical sociology of health, mentoring numerous researchers. Thanks to him, many have dedicated themselves to exploring the complex relationships between international health, nationalism, public health, social thought, and the history of health professions in the country. His analysis of health and sanitation as “leading ideas” in the formation of Brazilian nationality during the First Republic (1889-1930) was particularly influential. This perspective was revived and developed by figures such as Gilberto Hochman and Nísia Trindade Lima, who deepened discussions on social thought and public health. With Castro Santos’s constant support, this movement gained institutional scope with the creation of the Casa de Oswaldo Cruz, one of Fiocruz’s units. Today, the “Casa” is responsible for the production and dissemination of historical knowledge in health and biomedical sciences, the preservation of health’s cultural heritage, and education in science and technology.
Castro Santos began his professional career at the Brazilian Center for Analysis and Planning (Centro Brasileiro de Análise e Planejamento - CEBRAP) in August 1985, focusing on topics such as social inequality and Brazilian demographics. About 12 years later, in mid-1997, at the invitation of anthropologist Maria Andrea Loyola, he joined the Institute of Social Medicine. This institution, since the mid-1970s, has played a prominent role in discussions and initiatives related to the Brazilian health reform movement and the construction and consolidation of Public Health, challenging the exclusively biomedical view of health.
His work as a researcher, deeply anchored in and in dialogue with Brazilian literature, also reveals a humanist renowned for his vision of people, institutions, and national identity itself. Castro Santos, for example, cultivated a deep admiration and friendship for Antônio Cândido, a sociologist and literary critic. He corresponded with him and shared an immense zeal for textual quality, considering precision and a keen aesthetic sense to be non-negotiable requirements. This rigor was manifested in his always accurate readings, reviews, and dialogues on a wide variety of works and authors. And, of course, in his own works, such as O pensamento social no Brasil: pequenos estudos (Santos, 2003), Saúde & História (Santos; Faria, 2010), co-authored with Lina Faria; and O pensamento social no Brasil: estilos e idiomas (Santos, 2017).
His critical eye was always accompanied by immense generosity; It was common to see him in heated debates, but he was always open to listening and learning. This generosity was evident even when he complained about what he called the “methodological obsession” in Public Health, which he claimed was a form of compensation for the lack of attention the field devoted to social theory. His restless mind and combative spirit will be deeply missed in these difficult times. Thus, we can affirm that the legacy he leaves us is not limited to a collection of works and ideas, but a permanent invitation to reflection and a continuous critical eye on health and education institutions and policies.
His passing saddens us, but above all, we celebrate his life, work, and ideas, which will continue to inspire us in building a country where health is not a privilege, but a reality for every citizen. His name will forever be engraved in the history and sociology of health, as well as in Brazilian Public Health itself.
