Professor Pedro de Alcantara
Prof. Pedro de Alcantara Marcondes Machado was a famous pediatrician in São Paulo. He was one of the founders of my Medical School, the Escola Paulista de Medicina (EPM). My father was also one of the founders of EPM and they were very good friends. I met Prof. Alcantara when I was in my second year of medical school, on a day that he was invited to have lunch with my parents, in our home. A few years later he became my professor. I believe that our class was the last one that he lectured at EPM. He was Professor of Pediatrics at the São Paulo Faculty of Hygiene, at EPM and at the University of São Paulo Faculty of Medicine. He published many books, wrote many papers, contributed enormously to change many concepts in pediatrics and puericulture. As it happens with all pioneers, he often had to fight vigorously for his ideas, that are now part of the everyday practice of pediatricians. But besides being a great scientist, he was a great human being, and very friendly. During h