[From Neandertal to therapeutic education].

Therapeutic education will be part of every patient's care. It is not an additional tool in the medical care but a new way to consider the relationship between patients and physicians. In therapeutic education, the medical knowledge transfer is essential but probably insufficient to obtain a real change in the patient's behaviour. Looking back, the origins of the words may help patients and physicians understand the real issues of therapeutic education and therefore, render it more efficient.