Dear Colleague,

This edition of the Magazine @rquivos Internacionais de Otorrinolaringologia brings us the topic "Vocal Behavior of preschool children", by showing once again that the vocal abuse is constant in our early infancy. In 1997, upon promotion of our Doctoral Dissertation at the Federal University of São Paulo, we remarked that, through the auditory perceptive and computed analysis of the voice of the children in the institution, the fight of space is made "by shouting", that is, the vocal abuse as part of the childhood environment, which is prevented by voice professionals and teachers. The technology has been an important instrument for the evaluation of vocal disorders in children in the last 40 years, specially with the advent of the rigid and soft optical fibers, as well as the voice computed evaluation. However, we should also mention that the relationship of the health professionals with their patients is critical for the therapy to be applied.

The Humanism in the doctor-patient relation has had great changes, since the Renaissance against the serfdom up to the appearing of the nuclear age. On February 25th of 1958, F. Chedi published in the newspaper Folha da Tarde, in Porto Alegre, an article titled: "Where shall we reach? THOUGHT ALREADY DRIVES THE MACHINE" This article mentioned that "so far the robot builders have been taking efforts to imitate mankind. In industry, several mechanical, electric or electronic devices have been created to replace the human action".

Nowadays, amongst others, we have the "da Vinci Surgical System", a robotic surgical apparatus already available in some hospitals of the country that shows us the high 3D image definition, large precision in the surgical dissection and small learning curve with the surgeon in the same surgical room of the patient in the command of the surgical station or in the other side of the planet to carry out the surgical procedure. High technology allied to this with milimetric precision.

We believe this type of advance in the therapeutic machinery is one in a number of devices already working to be offered in the treatment of our patients.

Nevertheless, we should stand out that nothing replaces the "man's hand" in the doctor-patient relationship.

Studies concerning the life quality of our patients have been showing an increasing feedback we need to keep on to enhance our relationships and not only the technological progress. The quote by the Doctor and Professor Sir. William Osler, Head of the Department of Medical Clinic of the Johns Hopkins University (nineteenth century), in Baltimore, United States, fits this context perfectly: "The humanities are hormones that catalyze thinking and humanize the medical practice".

The humanist doctor has the clear active, altruist and affective version of such life philosophy as a neighbor, that is, he is able to be moved faced with the pain and limitation
of others.

We hope you have a good reading.

Kind regards!

Geraldo Pereira Jotz
Editor - Magazine @rquivos Internacionais de Otorrinolaringologia