The anti-leprosy campaign in Colombia: the rhetoric of hygiene and science, 1920-1940

Since the 1920s, the medical community realized that the strategy of leprosy control based on segregation and persecution of patients was inefficient and expensive. In the 1930s the new liberal government incorporated leprosy within the general sanitary institutions, by merging the Bureau of Lazaret...

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Main Author: Diana Obregón
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Casa de Oswaldo Cruz 2003-01-01
Series:História, Ciências, Saúde: Manguinhos
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Online Access:http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0104-59702003000400009&tlng=en
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author Diana Obregón
author_facet Diana Obregón
author_sort Diana Obregón
collection DOAJ
description Since the 1920s, the medical community realized that the strategy of leprosy control based on segregation and persecution of patients was inefficient and expensive. In the 1930s the new liberal government incorporated leprosy within the general sanitary institutions, by merging the Bureau of Lazarettos and the National Department of Hygiene. The disease-apart approach started to be replaced by a more general public health strategy, which involved controlling other illnesses. Prevention and research played a more influential role, and the new sanitary officials saw leprosy in the light of the economic rationality of expenditures, placing more emphasis on therapies and making them mandatory for all patients. Improvements in leprosy treatment became widely known and available. However, the image of leprosy as a special condition and the practice of segregation were deeply entrenched within the Colombian culture and institutions. The rhetoric changed, but to break with several decades of persecution was a difficult task
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series História, Ciências, Saúde: Manguinhos
spelling doaj-art-b50cdbe6fcf64e49ae6fe85667a067f42025-08-20T02:54:49ZengFundação Oswaldo Cruz, Casa de Oswaldo CruzHistória, Ciências, Saúde: Manguinhos1678-47582003-01-0110suppl 117920710.1590/S0104-59702003000400009The anti-leprosy campaign in Colombia: the rhetoric of hygiene and science, 1920-1940Diana Obregón0Universidad Nacional de ColombiaSince the 1920s, the medical community realized that the strategy of leprosy control based on segregation and persecution of patients was inefficient and expensive. In the 1930s the new liberal government incorporated leprosy within the general sanitary institutions, by merging the Bureau of Lazarettos and the National Department of Hygiene. The disease-apart approach started to be replaced by a more general public health strategy, which involved controlling other illnesses. Prevention and research played a more influential role, and the new sanitary officials saw leprosy in the light of the economic rationality of expenditures, placing more emphasis on therapies and making them mandatory for all patients. Improvements in leprosy treatment became widely known and available. However, the image of leprosy as a special condition and the practice of segregation were deeply entrenched within the Colombian culture and institutions. The rhetoric changed, but to break with several decades of persecution was a difficult taskhttp://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0104-59702003000400009&tlng=enleprosyColombiahygienepublic healthmedicinetwentieth century
spellingShingle Diana Obregón
The anti-leprosy campaign in Colombia: the rhetoric of hygiene and science, 1920-1940
História, Ciências, Saúde: Manguinhos
leprosy
Colombia
hygiene
public health
medicine
twentieth century
title The anti-leprosy campaign in Colombia: the rhetoric of hygiene and science, 1920-1940
title_full The anti-leprosy campaign in Colombia: the rhetoric of hygiene and science, 1920-1940
title_fullStr The anti-leprosy campaign in Colombia: the rhetoric of hygiene and science, 1920-1940
title_full_unstemmed The anti-leprosy campaign in Colombia: the rhetoric of hygiene and science, 1920-1940
title_short The anti-leprosy campaign in Colombia: the rhetoric of hygiene and science, 1920-1940
title_sort anti leprosy campaign in colombia the rhetoric of hygiene and science 1920 1940
topic leprosy
Colombia
hygiene
public health
medicine
twentieth century
url http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0104-59702003000400009&tlng=en
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