The thermalism in Portugal

Abstract

The goal of this article is to present the global aspects of the Portuguese Thermalism. The Portuguese thermal tradition doesn’t differ much from the spanish, italian or french ones. We can understand why. All these are latin cultures that follow schools with similar bases. Nevertherless there are some difference. In this papers, the author present an historical perspective of the development and evolution of the thermalism and Medical Hydrology in Portugal, the classification criteria of the portuguese natural mineral waters, the balneology techniques as well as the juridical frame and regulamentation of portuguese thermal activity. This article will also present the current situation of the Medical Hydrology teaching and practice in Portugal. By gathering this information, the author hope to contribute for the development of a future international consensus in this matter.