The medical debates on the epidemics of yellow fever in Campinas (1889-1890)

• Grant number: 10/14153-5
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: March 01, 2011
• End date: August 31, 2011
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - History - History of Science
• Principal Investigator: Maria Amelia Mascarenhas Dantes
• Grantee: Felipe Nascimento da Silva
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Filosofia, Letras e Ciências Humanas (FFLCH). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

During the Year of 1889, a swift epidemic outbreak stroke the city of Campinas. Even though some physicians argued that it was in fact the "dreaded" Yellow Fever, many doctors disagreed, assuming it was just one of the many other illnesses that had previously hunted the town. By the year of 1890, the disease was back in the hospitals and in the medical agenda. Even considering that the epidemics that fell upon Campinas in the course of those years were ended Yellow Fever outbreaks, these opposing diagnostics clearly show that some aspects of this condition were still unknown to the medical community. They also suggest that, contrary to what the majority of the bibliography concerning Campinas's history states, the medical community of that area wasn't always able to overcome personal issues in favor of the eradication of this disease. The topic of the Yellow fever outbreak in Campinas has never been sufficiently explored by historians. In the few cases where that happened, the narratives exclusively focus on the medical and hygienical efforts to overcome the epidemic burst of the fever in the city, prevailing the image and accomplishes of some specific characters. Therefore, instead of seeing this through traditional angles, considering just the approved measures taken back then to fight the disease, it's more in our interest to explore what perceptions these physicians had about this particular illness and, more importantly, how these perceptions defined their medical practice. (AU)

Academic Publications

(References retrieved automatically from State of São Paulo Research Institutions)

SILVA, Felipe Nascimento da. Medical debates about epidemics of yellow fever in Campinas (1889-1890). 2012. Master's Dissertation - Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Faculdade de Filosofia, Letras e Ciências Humanas (FFLCH/SBD) São Paulo.