Called to Nurse: Nursing, Race, and Americanization in Early 20th–Century Puerto Rico

The article begins with a description of the consonances between Americanization and the overall Portestant missionary project to establish missionaries'relationship to the imperial project. it also argue tha pre-1898 material conditions and ideologies pushed missionaires tom odify their original plans for recruiting nursing studentes which produced a more inclusive admission policy. Two decades later, however, amreicanization wrought changes in thise arenas that led to a racially exclusive policy. The article addresses worthy citizens of Christian America, a finer womanhood,a stronger manhood, and a healthier nation, Rosa A. González and the professionalization of nursing, the unknown facts, and the problems of recruiting consecrated women, and no sorority of consciousness.(AU)

Eugenics policy and practice in Cuba, Puerto Rico and Mexico

In this comparison of history of eugenics in Cuba, Puerto Rico and Mexico, it is readily evident how adaptable eugenic concepts were to local political, social and cultural contexts. In Mexico, a central concern was to increase and improve the population after the decimation of the revolution. In a majority mestizo and indigenous nation, to which large-scale European immigration was not realistic, 'puériculture' and homiculture approaches had obvious appeal. Eugenic discussion about race also fit into new attempts to understand the essenceof the Mexican nation and to depict mestizos as nation-building stock. Likewise, in Puerto Rico, eugenics was originally a movement of liberals and feminists endorsing a modernizing program, to improve working-class families. Eugenics appealed to some Puerto Ricans because of the potential for reform and improvement of island's population, through heathy reproduction. Yet at the same time, Puerto Rico's colonial relationship with the United States gave great scope for birth control experimentation (AU).

Anemia, bruxas e vampiros: figuras para governar a colônia / Anemia, witches and vampires: figures to govern the colony

Mostra como a busca de poder por um grupo de `letrados` leva ao desenvolvimento de um conjunto de dispositivos que, paradoxalmente, alimenta o medo da miscigenaçäo. Para se distanciarem da ameaça que seus próprios corpos representavam para as autoridades coloniais locais, os membros desse grupo elaboraram um deslocamento que levou à representaçäo do corpo `negro` como um parasita contaminador que precisava ser eliminado, e à representaçäo do corpo `branco` da camponesa como um corpo tomado por uma doença, mas uma doença curável. (AU)

Beyond quarantine: a history of leprosy in Puerto Rico, 1898-1930s

Usa fontes primárias, escritas em espanhol, para reconstruir a história social da lepra em Porto Rico a partir de 1898, quando os Estados Unidos anexaram a ilha a seu território. As políticas de saúde pública desenvolvidas em Porto Rico até a década de 1930 foram específicas, devido a uma combinaçäo de fatores políticos, científicos e sociais. O país sofreu a influência das prioridades sanitárias dos Estados Unidos e desenvolveu suas políticas de controle da lepra sobre os vestígios do sistema de saúde da Espanha colonial. No início da ocupaçäo norte-americana, extrema segregaçäo agrediu a liberdade e os direitos individuais dos pacientes, em nome da proteçäo à sociedade. Como resultado, as vidas desses hansenianos foram irrevogavelmente transformadas. (AU)

Recuento histórico Escuela de Medicina de la Universidad de Puerto Rico 1950-2000 / Historical recollection Medical School of the University of Puerto Rico 1950-2000

The School of Medicine of the University of Puerto Rico was founded in 1950 with the mission of educating the much needed physician workforce in order to improve the health of a large portion of the population in Puerto Rico. The main events in its first fifty years of existence are summarized. Emphasis is given to the unique, mutually dependent association between the School of Medicine and the Department of Health of Puerto Rico. Soon after its organization, the school became a principal protagonist in the delivery of specialized medical care to the medically indigent population within the existing Regionalization Program of Health Care services in the island. With the creation and development of various other academic and health services institutions in the island, and the advent of a new system of health care in 1993, based on managed care; the School's interdependence with the Department of Health and its role in the direct care of the medically indigent have waned drastically. The School now faces its greatest challenges as it begins to insert itself into the economically competitive arena of the new health care system; and in redefining its commitments, while searching for new resources, alliances, teaching faculty, hospitals and clinics, enabling it to maintain its leadership in medical education, specialty training and scientific research in Puerto Rico.(AU)

La expedición Balmis-Salvany de vacunación contra la viruela / The Balmis-Salvany expedition for vaccination against smallpox

Trata de la expedición para vacunar a los habitantes de la América española contra la viruela, campaña de salud pública de proporciones gigantescas. Un grupo pequeño zarpó con rumbo a los actuales territorios de Puerto Rico, Venezuela, Panamá, Colombia, Ecuador, Perú, Chile y Bolivia, llevando la vacuna y administrándola en los pueblos y ciudades por los que pasaba. Los expedicionarios viajaron en embarcaciones fluviales primitivas y a lomo de mula, cuando el terreno era demasiado accidentado para los caballos.(AU)

La salud en Puerto Rico en el siglo XX / Health in Puerto Rico in the XXth century

Resume los acontecimientos del siglo relativos a la salud y su contexto político y económico, los desarrollos en estructuras de salud pública y de asistencia sanitaria, la educación profesional, las asociaciones cívicas, las campañas contra enfermedades infecciosas, las causas crónicas de mortalidad y los problemas del ambiente.(AU)

Anemia, witches and vampires: figures to govern the colony

In order to constitute themselves as the governing authority of the emerging Puerto Rican nation before the United Sates'invasion in 1898, a group of letrados constructed the phantasm of a coherent and integrated national Self by excluding a phantasmagoric Other (e.g. the infirm Puerto Rican jíbaro). The essay examines the relationship not only between the letrado's discourse of Self and its phantasmagoric Other but also between the letrado's discourse of Self and competing discourses of Self similarly articulated by the changing metropolitan authorities (Spanish first and North American later). It shows that the empowerment by a group of letrados motivates the deployment of a set of devices that paradoxically feeds the fear of miscegenation.(AU)

Abortion in Puerto Rico: the limits of a colonial legality

This paper situates the current abortion practice and policy in Puerto Rico within the historical, political, and economic context of the colonial domination of the United States (US) over Puerto Rico. In particular, we pay attention to the hurdles that women face to obtain abortion services in Puerto Rico as a result of its colonial legality. Of particular significance is the overall low abortion ratio, and differential abortion ratio and access issues faced by women when grouped by an age-ethnicity category: unmarried teenagers, adult Puerto Rican women and, adult immigrant women from the Dominican Republic. The present hurdles to abortion access--related to information, abortion providers, economic situation, and government policies--are discussed within the colonial legality of abortion based on the US Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade. Puerto Rico's case is situated within its broader history of population policies developed by the State since the 1930's. Of particular relevance is the antagonism that State managers have had towards abortion in spite of its legality. In this sense, abortion in Puerto Rico continues to be an unfinished business, in spite of its legality (Au)

El estudio de las psicopatologias en Puerto Rico / The study of psychopathologies in Puerto Rico

El estudio de las psicopatologías en Puerto Rico fue un carnpo poco productivo durante las primeras siete décadas de este siglo. Durante este término de tiempo las publicaciones profesionales fueron exiguas y mayormente anecdóticas. Sin embargo, la década de los años ochenta fue una muy productiva en términos de publicaciones profesionales y estudios de corte empírico. Principalmente se destacan una serie programática de estudios epidemiológicos que abarcan poblaciones de niños y adultos. También son notables algunos esfuerzos encaminados a auscultar ciertos aspectos clínicos y psicoterapéuticos con pacientes que presentan esquizofrenia y trastornos disociativos. La década de los noventa ha continuado en un ritmo ascendente el nivel de investigación clínica y epidemiológica en la isla. (AU)

Modos de comunicación científica entre España y Puerto Rico (1785-1808) / Scientifical communication between Spain and Puerto Rico

Comenta a influência do desenvolvimento das investigaçöes biomédicas na prática médica e a importância dada a estas investigaçöes pelo governo espanhol no século XVIII em Porto Rico, entäo sob seu domínio. Aborda a intervençäo governamental na difusäo das novas práticas, havendo entäo intenso intercâmbio entre Porto Rico e Espanha, o que proporcionou importantes mudanças. Relata a açäo do governo na Colônia, na implantaçäo das reformas e sua influência na saúde da populaçäo.(IMCBS)

Hookworm disease: Puerto Rico's secret killer

Drs. Bailey Ashford and Pedro Gutiérrez, with the economic aid of the United States and Puerto Rican governments, were able to implement a program to reduce the incidence of hookworm infestations in Puerto Rico during the turn of the century. The program was conducted in three phases. The first phase consisted of evaluating the prevalence of infestations among the population. The second phase was concerned with treating patients and reducing further infestations. The last phase of the program was the implementation of prevention programs whose goals were to educate the population on the mechanisms of contaminations and to help implement improvements in the waste disposal systems so as to reduce the exposure to contaminated soil. The programs greatly improved the level of health of many Puerto Ricans. The incidence of hookworm infestations was reduced from 90 per cent to 15 per cent among members of the population. The program obtained world-wide recognition and serves as a model for similar programs (Au)

Education for public health in Puerto Rico: 1940-1942

Formal training in public health in Puerto Rico began in 1940 when a degree-granting Division of Public Health was established within the existing School of Tropical Medicine. The division was sponsored by five institutions - the Puerto Rico Departament of Health, the U.S. Public Health Service, the Children's Bureau, the University of Puerto Rico, and Columbia University - each with had a different concept of tha aims, scope and character of the training. Conflicts relating to these issues were exacerbated by managerial and budgetary problems, and the program began fitfully and with great difficulties. As a results, the training which was planned in 1940 and launched in 1941 was scrapped or rede-signed the following year (AU)

Muerte por mosquito: la epidemia de fiebre amarilla en San Juan de Puerto Rico 1804-1805 / Mosquito-caused death: the yellow fever epidemics in San Juan of Puerto Rico 1804-1805

A finales del siglo dieciocho y principios del siglo diecinueve, las epidemias de fiebre amarilla fueron frecuentes en América y Europa, en las inmediaciones del litoral Mediterráneo, Atlántico y Caribeño. La información disponible sobre la epidemia de 1804-5 en San Juan es muy breve, pero es evidente que la mortandad entre los ciudadanos fue desmesurada. Sin embargo, las Actas del Cabildo de la capital en este período no hacen ninguan mención de la epidemia, y sóolo veladamente aluden a lo que estaba ocurriendo. A pesar del cúmulo de tragedias individuales (por ejemplo, entre las posbiles víctimas de la epidemia están las dos hijas del gobernador Ramón de Castro), los documentos muestran poca evidencia de reacción comunal a la epidemia, que aparentemente cesó a mediados de 1805 (AU)

Los hechos desconocidos: participación de la mujer en las profesiones de salud en Puerto Rico (1898-1930) / The unknown facts: women's participation in the health professions in Puerto Rico (1898-1930)

Los Hechos Descnocidos presenta y reflexiona en torno a la participación de la mujer en las profesiones de la salud durante las primeras tres décadas del siglo XX en Puerto Rico. Partiendo de fuentes históricas primarias y secundarias se traza esa trayectoria que comienza con las comadrinas, religiosas, enfermeras, farmacéuticas y médicas. La investigación histórica arroja evidencia sobre la lucha de todos estos sectores para ser reconocidas en una sociedad de corte patriarcal que discrimina hacia la mujer y otras minórias. En particular, el caso de las enfermeras ilustra la importância de la organización como profesionales y de la influência del pensamiento feminista para lograr algunas de sus metas más apremiantes. De otro lado, el caso de las médicas, muestra las repercusiones del acceso de la mujer a posiciones de poder decisional, cuando desde allí logra impulsar políticas de salud que, tomando en cuenta la salud de la mujer, benefician a una gran parte de la población (AU)