
audiobook
A spirited satire from the late‑1700s, this work unfolds as a lively exchange of letters between two friends debating a freshly printed pamphlet that lampoons the medical establishment. The author adopts a mock‑serious tone, presenting the controversial “letter against doctors, surgeons and apothecaries” as both a curiosity for the public and a provocation for the learned. Through witty observations and sharp irony, the text exposes the clash between popular skepticism and professional authority, inviting listeners to glimpse the heated debates that once roiled Lisbon’s intellectual circles.
The commentary weaves together references to religious doctrine, legal codes, and everyday gossip, painting a vivid picture of a society wrestling with the promises and perils of contemporary cures. While the pamphlet’s flamboyant title promises shocking revelations, the surrounding discourse reveals a deeper concern: the balance between expertise and folly, and the role of satire in challenging entrenched power. Listeners will be drawn into the lively, polemical atmosphere of an era where the battle of words could be as fierce as any medical procedure.
Language
pt
Duration
~24 minutes (23K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Produced by Mike Silva
Release date
2010-12-11
Rights
Public domain in the USA.
b. 1709
Born in Rome to Portuguese parents and raised in Portugal, this 18th-century writer moved easily between scholarship, satire, and social criticism. His surviving works show a lively, questioning mind interested in medicine, public life, and the reforming spirit of the Portuguese Enlightenment.
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