[Consultations and "juntas" of physicians as an arena for doctrinal discussions in the Novator Movement (1687-1725)].

The consultations (consultas) and meetings (juntas) of physicians represented an area of prime importance for both medical practice and doctrinal discussions. The analysis of manuscript sources -- the private correspondence of a doctor -- rarely used in this period, reveals the reality of medical practice more accurately than do doctrinal or normative texts. The difference between "consulas" and "juntas" depended on the person who took the initiative. "Consulas" arose from the practical difficulty of the physician confronted with a case which he decided to submit to the judgement of other colleagues, whose experience and prestige were greater. On the other hand the "juntas" were the initiative of the patient. In this latter case there were many different factors: institutional conflicts, professional expectations and rivalries. Nevertheless, the opinions of the patients and their circle of acquaintances were also represented. Finally, this was the arena for doctrinal discussions about the human body and disease.