Epidemics, endemics and epizootics: some aspects of bacteriology's development in Colombia

Abstract

This article studies some epidemics, epizootics and diseases which occurred betwen 1849 and 1914 in what is today Colombia. The social organisations created for public health in order to face the spread of cholera, anthrax, leprosy and the plague, are also examined. The scientific knowledge which was put into practice in those cases, through the scientific work of Juan de Dios Carrasquilla and Federico LLeras Acosta, is also analysed. The role of institutions, such as the Universidad Nacional and Carrasquilla's and Lleras's laboratories is considered. According to diffusionist models, a scientific discipline is ""received intact from scientific centres (Europe, in this case) and places analysis emphasis on local actors as well as on science's social construction processes. Thus, the social needs which contributed to the founding of laboratories and institutions for bacteriological research are examined. The transition from lay organisations to the medical and professional management of sanitary emergencies is also analysed.