Chapter 3. The medical exception

Abstract

The aim of this contribution is to examine the very great value attached to medicine in Algerian society and the reasons for its being at the top of the hierarchy of disciplines and the hierarchy of professions. The study was based on interviews of teachers and students and the secondary use of surveys that were spread over a period of 16 years (1980-1996). Similarly it seemed pertinent to mention rapidly the contribution of Islamic civilisation to the development of medicine since this fact remains in the collective memory and thus is part of the reinforcement of the image of medical science and the medical profession.