The Medicine Evening is an academic event that takes place on a yearly basis on the last Wednesday in October. The organizing committee is formed by year 6 students of the Medical degree of the Faculty of Medicine of Lisbon.

The event includes several musical activities, dance, video, and stage performances, and aims to interact with the audience. It unquestionably brings together FMUL students by resorting to satire about their everyday affairs.

The first editions started in the 1980s and were held at the Students’ Room of the Students’ Association of the Faculty of Medicine of Lisbon (AEFML). The show was subsequently moved to the FMDUL Amphitheatre for a year. Then, in the following three years, it was held at the Aula Magna of the University of Lisbon, having finally landed at the mythical Coliseu dos Recreios in the past two editions.

The latest Medicine Evening took place on 27 October 2010, and, as expected, was an unforgettable evening, offering entertainment for approximately 5 intense hours.

With regard to past years, the quality of the performance was higher, which is something that has become a habit. It was equally highly sophisticated, both in terms of the audiovisual materials used and of the acts performed on stage.

Caustic humour, typical of the irreverence and youth of students, frequently made the audience laugh to the point of tears, particularly those who are involved in FMUL’s everyday activity.

Many direct and subliminal messages were passed on to freshers, students from other years, services, the faculty board, and even to lecturers

Nonetheless, in this “unique spot for criticism and satire, the last stronghold of free thinking” of the Faculty, as we heard in a jocose dialogue in one of the acts, respect figured prominently, although the pervasive healthy fierce criticism, which is a characteristic of this type of event, played with students and student life, alongside many people, services of features of the institution. This year the language tone was even quite moderate compared to what tradition has accustomed us to.

It was, above all, an evening for partying, enjoyment, pleasure, jokes, and entertainment, combined with excellent artistic performances on the stage, which, in some cases, attained a quality standard that equals the level found in the Cultural Soirée.

The rapture and enthusiasm of all the students present, particularly first-year students, who are always the majority and very enthusiastic, conferred to the show its customary chants and rituals of group celebration, bringing the party over to the public and, at some key moments, literary making the legendary Coliseu dos Recreios vibrate.

A final and very positive word must be said about the 2010 event flawless organisation, as well as about the contagious joy and youth.

It is a real pity that, year after year, not all employees, lecturers, friends, and relatives are able to attend and experience this exceptional occasion, mostly due to the size of the room. Unfortunately, other venues with more seating capacity are beyond the budget of the organising committees of this memorable event. Otherwise, one may say, let us hold the event at Pavilhão Atlântico, since the Medicine Evening has sufficient quality and is interesting enough to deserve it.

Miguel Andrade
Instituto de Introdução à Medicina (Introdution to Medicine Institute)
mandrade@fm.ul.pt