Debating Diseases in Nineteenth-Century Colombia: Causes, Interests, and the Pasteurian Therapeutics.

This article explores the medical conceptualization of the causes of diseases in nineteenth-century Colombia. It traces the history of some of the pathologies that were of major concern among nineteenth-century doctors: periodic fevers (yellow fever and malaria), continuous fevers (typhoid fever), and leprosy (Greek elephantiasis). By comparing the transforming conceptualizations of these diseases, this article shows that their changing pattern, the idea of climatic determinism of diseases (neo-Hippocratism and medical geography), the weak standing of the medical community in Colombian society, as well as Pasteurian germ practices were all crucial in the uneven and varied reshaping of their understanding.

[Between 100 and 200 years before the microbiome ]. / Cent à deux cents ans avant le microbiome

Before the era of microbiote, our ancestors patiently discovered, described and cultivated pathogens, including those responsible for dermatoses. The very well known ectoparasites were represented in the earliest books on cutaneous diseases at the end of XVIII(th) century and the first half of the XIX(th) century. Fungi were discovered in the 1840s, rapidly followed by numerous bacteria, including those causing tuberculosis and lepra. This article is illustrated by images that often showed for the first time parasites and bacteria in books dedicated to cutaneous diseases. Engravings and photographs from the books of Willan, Rayer and Hardy show accurate images of pathogens. Microscopic images can also be found in the textbooks of Simon, Leloir, Sabouraud, Unna and many others. Darier himself believed that "Darier's disease" was due to a parasite, which explains why he named his disease "Vegetant follicular psorospermosis".

Current and past strategies for bacterial culture in clinical microbiology.

A pure bacterial culture remains essential for the study of its virulence, its antibiotic susceptibility, and its genome sequence in order to facilitate the understanding and treatment of caused diseases. The first culture conditions empirically varied incubation time, nutrients, atmosphere, and temperature; culture was then gradually abandoned in favor of molecular methods. The rebirth of culture in clinical microbiology was prompted by microbiologists specializing in intracellular bacteria. The shell vial procedure allowed the culture of new species of Rickettsia. The design of axenic media for growing fastidious bacteria such as Tropheryma whipplei and Coxiella burnetii and the ability of amoebal coculture to discover new bacteria constituted major advances. Strong efforts associating optimized culture media, detection methods, and a microaerophilic atmosphere allowed a dramatic decrease of the time of Mycobacterium tuberculosis culture. The use of a new versatile medium allowed an extension of the repertoire of archaea. Finally, to optimize the culture of anaerobes in routine bacteriology laboratories, the addition of antioxidants in culture media under an aerobic atmosphere allowed the growth of strictly anaerobic species. Nevertheless, among usual bacterial pathogens, the development of axenic media for the culture of Treponema pallidum or Mycobacterium leprae remains an important challenge that the patience and innovations of cultivators will enable them to overcome.

Gerhard Henrik Armauer Hansen (1841-1912)--100 years anniversary tribute.

2012 marks the 100th year of death of Gerhard Henrik Armauer Hansen (1841-1912), who discovered Mycobacterium leprae, but also gave the first systematic scientific work on the leprosy of the eye. The article reviews his life and scientific achievements with special regard to eye and ophthalmology.

Short biography of Louis Daniel Beauperthuy (1807-71): pioneer of microbiology and medical science in Venezuela.

Louis Daniel Beauperthuy was a pioneer of microbiology in Venezuela where he developed microscopic and clinical research together with academic and scientific observation related to leprosy and the role of insects in the transmission of febrile illnesses.

Albert Ludwig Sigesmund Neisser: discoverer of the cause of gonorrhea.

The history of sexually transmitted diseases is thought to date back to earliest times, and many ancient texts describe conditions that may be those of syphilis and gonorrhea, which at one time were thought to be the same disease. A main figure in the research in this area was Albert Ludwig Sigesmund Neisser, who discovered the gonococcus in 1879 and later produced the most comprehensive account of experimental syphilis ever published. This article provides a brief biography of Albert Neisser, focusing on his discoveries in the area of infectious diseases, the so-called Neisser-Hansen controversy, and the situation leading to changes in defining bioethics.

Adolpho Lutz and controversies over the transmission of leprosy by mosquitoes.

During his years of study in Switzerland and Germany, Adolpho Lutz published his first articles on zoology, clinical practice, and therapeutics. In Limeira, São Paulo, he began studies on animal and human diseases caused by germs and parasites. In 1885-86, Lutz traveled to Hamburg to study the morphology of germs related to skin diseases, in conjunction with Paul Gerson Unna, one of Germany's foremost dermatologists. He proposed the inclusion of Hansen's and Koch's bacilli in a new genus. In 1889, Unna nominated his student as physician-in-chief of the Leper Settlement on Molokai Island, Hawaii. From then on, Lutz sustained the theory that the disease was transmitted by mosquitos. He conducted research to prove this theory when he was head of the Instituto Bacteriológico de São Paulo (1893-1908) and, later, after he moved to the Instituto Oswaldo Cruz (1908-1940). Although this research was not successful, on commissions and at congresses in which he participated until his death in October 1940, he still held to his conviction that leprosy was transmitted by mosquitoes.

República dos Invisíveis: Emílio Ribas, Microbiologia e Saúde Pública em Säo Paulo (1898-1917) / Ciência, Saúde e Educação / The Republic of the Invisible: Emílio Ribas, microbiology and public health in São Paulo

O livro possibilita conhecer um personagem fascinante de São Paulo do começo do século XX e compreender como os ideais de modernização daquele período estiveram intimamente ligados com a ciência, a medicina e a saúde pública. Este estudo apresenta a figura e a obra de Emílio Ribas, assim como o importante papel que desempenhou no Serviço de Saúde Pública de São Paulo. (AU)

Adolpho Lutz and controversies over the transmission of leprosy by mosquitoes

Quando estudava na Suíça e Alemanha, Adolpho Lutz publicou os primeiros trabalhos sobre zoologia, clínica e terapêutica. Em Limeira, Säo Paulo, iniciou estudos sobre doenças humanas e animais causadas por germes e parasitas. Em 1885-86, viajou para Hamburgo para estudar microrganismos relacionados a doenças de pele sob a orientaçäo de Paul Gerson Unna, um dos mais renomados dermatologistas alemäes. Propôs a inclusäo dos bacilos de Hansen e Koch num novo gênero. Em 1889, Unna indicou seu discípulo como chefe dos serviços médicos dos Leprosário Molokai, no Havaí. Lutz passou a defender a transmissäo da doença por mosquitos. Realizou pesquisas para provar esta teoria depois que assumiu a chefia do Instituto Bacteriológico de Säo Paulo (1893-1908) e, sobretudo, após a transferência para o Instituto Oswaldo Cruz (1908-1940)... (AU)

República dos Invisíveis: Emílio Ribas, Microbiologia e Saúde Pública em Säo Paulo (1898-1917) / The Republic of the Invisible: Emílio Ribas, microbiology and public health in Säo Paulo

Trata da introduçäo da microbiologia no Brasil, sobretudo em Säo Paulo, buscando traçar um panorama histórico dinâmico deste processo. Aborda a trajetória médico-científica de Emílio Ribas, através de um acompanhamento de sua formaçäo enquanto médico, suas primeiras experiências profissionais e suas publicaçöes ocorridas principalmente ao longo dos anos em que esteve na direçäo do Serviço Sanitário. Caracteriza, através de algumas indagaçöes, a tensäo engendrada nas relaçöes entre médicos e poder público a partir da administraçäo sanitária de Emílio Ribas em Säo Paulo, levando em consideraçäo suas convicçöes políticas na microbiologia e na medicina laboratorial, suas estratégias políticas de convencimento e legitimaçäo da açäo sanitária e as polêmicas médicas em que se envolveu.

República dos Invisíveis: Emílio Ribas, Microbiologia e Saúde Pública em Säo Paulo (1898-1917) / The Republic of the Invisible: Emílio Ribas, microbiology and public health in Säo Paulo

Trata da introduçäo da microbiologia no Brasil, sobretudo em Säo Paulo, buscando traçar um panorama histórico dinâmico deste processo. Aborda a trajetória médico-científica de Emílio Ribas, através de um acompanhamento de sua formaçäo enquanto médico, suas primeiras experiências profissionais e suas publicaçöes ocorridas principalmente ao longo dos anos em que esteve na direçäo do Serviço Sanitário. Caracteriza, através de algumas indagaçöes, a tensäo engendrada nas relaçöes entre médicos e poder público a partir da administraçäo sanitária de Emílio Ribas em Säo Paulo, levando em consideraçäo suas convicçöes políticas na microbiologia e na medicina laboratorial, suas estratégias políticas de convencimento e legitimaçäo da açäo sanitária e as polêmicas médicas em que se envolveu.(AU)