Geología médica¿un nuevo espacio científico?

Abstract

Medical Geology is a new interdisciplinary and integrating discipline, which is considered emergent or reemergent, if we consider its background. In the past, many physicians dedicated themselves in the past to disciplines related to Earth Sciences, some of them have been fundamental in the basic formation in this branch of science, as is the case of Steno and Hutton. In the modern development of Medical Geology, Låg’s pioneering work that defined the term Geomedicine plays an important role, but later became the one we know today as Medical Geology. Medical Geology is presented today as a scientific field that addresses the relationship between geology (factors, processes and materials) and human and animal health. The trace elements are a basic aspect that allows establishing scientific bases on Medical Geology. In addition to being many of them essential elements or micronutrients, they are considered good tracers in geochemical studies. Four case studies are presented which are currently being carried out in other fields of Science, but that illustrate the thematic breadth of the studies in Medical Geology.