Medical debates about epidemics of yellow fever in Campinas (1889-1890)

Author(s)

Felipe Nascimento da Silva

• Document type: Master's Dissertation
• Press: São Paulo.
• Institution: Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Faculdade de Filosofia, Letras e Ciências Humanas (FFLCH/SBD)
• Defense date: 2012-10-05

Examining board members

Maria Amelia Mascarenhas Dantes; Lucio Menezes Ferreira; Ermelinda Moutinho Pataca

• Advisor: Maria Amelia Mascarenhas Dantes

Abstract

During the Years of 1889 and 1890, a swift epidemic outbrake 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 endeed Yellow Fever outbrakes, 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 concearning Campinas\'s history states, the medical community of that area wasn\'t always able to overcome personal issues in favor of the erradication of this disease. The topic of the Yellow fever outbrake in Campinas has never been sufficiently explored by historians. In the few cases where that happened, the narratives exlusively 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 tradicional 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 ilness and, more importantly, how these perceptions defined their medical practice. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 10/14153-5 - The medical debates on the epidemics of yellow fever in Campinas (1889-1890)
• Grantee: Felipe Nascimento da Silva
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master