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[Disease and its causes in 19th century Chile: Dr. Guillermo Blest's view]
1Escuela de Historia, Universidad Finis Terrae, Chile.
Insights
Doctor Guillermo Blest
Area of Science:
- History of Medicine
- 19th-Century Medical Thought
Background:
- Guillermo Blest's medical ideas were documented in government reports and his 1828 publication.
- His work reflects the medical theories prevalent in Santiago, Chile, during the early 19th century.
Abstract:
This article aims to analyze the medical thought of Doctor Guillermo Blest, exposed both in the medical reports that he sent to the government authorities and in a document that he published in 1828 entitled "Assay on the most common and active causes of the diseases that are suffered in Santiago de Chile with indications of the best means to avoid its destructive influence". In them, Blest presents the principles of irritability (Broussais) and excitability (Brown) as central elements to explain the causes of diseases. Likewise, the miasmatic theory coexists with these explanatory principles, allowing Blest to configure an explanatory panorama of the disease.
