Medical pedagogist. Historical paths of an educational vocation

Abstract

By relying on the assumption that there are some missing, unknown, or omitted pieces in the History of Pedagogy and Education that are traceable in the History of other contiguous sciences, such as Medicine and Psychology, the author of this paper focuses his attention on the important role played by Medical Pedagogists. Among them we find such renowned names as Itard, Séguin, Montessori, Montesano, Bollea, but also lesser known ones such as Tamburini, Morselli, Pizzoli or Ferrari. These women and men devoted their attention to the education of people with disabilities, redefining the concept of education itself. For this reason, they should not be placed in a separate area- such as a supposed clinical pedagogy - or outside Science of Education, but ought to be identified as part of a historical path regarding education. A path that, by unfurling in the many Stories that constitute it, eventually leads to multiplicity, which is one of the distinctive traits of Special Pedagogy.