Escola Medica: Interlude

[JOHN DE FIGUEIREDO]

To those of you who may have missed my initial mailing about this topic, I will reinterate what I said before:

1. I only debate with people I respect

2. This being said, I do not consider my exchange of ideas with Dr. Bastos as a debate or even criticism. I consider it as a conversation about issues of mutual interest with the sole purpose of discovering the truth

3. I commend Dr. Bastos for bringing to light some important and not well studied issues related to medical education in Goa and the early history of Escola Medica

4. I believe some of her statements are not supported by data and in some cases, they are contradicted by data. I have been and will continue to discuss these. I should also add that some of her statements could be subject to misinterpretation and lead to misleading conclusions and I will discuss those as well

5. Dr. Bastos is a prolific writer. I have not read all her publications, only some of them. It is possible she may have already addressed some of the issues I raised.

6. I respect and admire Dr. Bastos. Nothing I write in these Notes should be construed as personal animosity against Dr. Bastos which I have none.

John M. de Figueiredo