[Pasteurian science through the antirabies vaccine: the case of Mexico]

The history of the rabies in Mexico is a versatile topic because it provides a chance to study different aspects of the history of Mexican science and medicine. This article reconstructs the sequence of events related to rabies vaccination in Mexico. History is also used as a model to study scientific transfer and scientific imperialism, the use of science by politicians in order to validate their governments, and the impact of French medicine on Mexican medicine. In 1888 the physician Eduardo Liceaga, an important political figure, brought the rabies vaccine to Mexico. President Porfirío Diaz supported Liceaga because he assumed that the vaccine was synonymous with modernity, and hence a sign of good government. We also analyze the reasons why there was no Pasteur Institute in Mexico, even though the conditions that allowed its creation in other countries also existed. Two points are of particular interest: 1) Despite its importance, this topic has not formally been studied in the context of the history of Mexican medicine, and 2) A considerable part of the present research is based on original, unpublished manuscripts in French and Mexican archives.