In this paper, we revisit the notion of classics from the literature, we return to the topic in the field of sociology and extend this idea to the medical / health sociology. We have analyzed some of the concepts developed by several authors - Gellius, Sainte-Beuve, Twain, T. S Elliot, Borges, Calvino, Merton, Schwartzman, Baehr - and discussed the possibility of applying this notion in more recent fields, such as medical sociology / health / disease. We've pointed out the coexistence, nowadays, of notions of "classic" in the tradition of the 17th century (the "chosen", "teaching models", "language models") to notions of eternal and universal models (19th century) and of "authority" (20th century). We emphasize the character of redesigning and implementing the "classic" to a new situation. In this sense, we understand its extension to the field of sociology of health.
classic; precursors; pioneers; literature; sociology; sociology of health