What does ‘Tropical Medicine’ stand for today? (VOR Geneeskunde)

by Martin Grobusch ‘The Tropics’ in geographical and astronomical terms simply refers to the area between the tropics of Capricorn and Cancer; Tropical Medicine as a discipline, however, whose origins date back at least to the age of exploration, remains ill-defined and encompasses a wealth of different medical specialties and scientific areas, forming altogether the highly dynamic field of Medicine in the Tropics. The Tropencentrum within Infectious Diseases, Tropical Medicine and AIDS at the Amsterdam Medical Center contributes together with numerous partners and collaborators worldwide to the broad field of Tropical Medicine and Travel Medicine through a wealth of clinical care, teaching and research activities in Amsterdam, the Netherlands and abroad.