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Presidents Pandemics and Politics ISBN 1349956988 Isbn-13 9781349956982

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Wonks in Exile

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But Torres was seen as "a bureaucrat of the Carlos Seidl school," and the public health administration needed a name that would "demand respect in light of his moral and intellectual capacity" Nascimento, , p. The following excerpt from a news item gives us a good idea of how Seidl's performance and his public figure were then being judged:. Carlos Seidl tried to defend himself from these accusations of incompetence and lack of technical preparation, arguing that "the essential prerequisites" for holding the post of Public Health director had never included "profound knowledge of bacteriology, nor the living laurels of investigator or discoverer, and much less the aura of sage"; the only thing indispensable to holding this job was administrative skill and being "knowledgeable in issues of public hygiene" Seidl, , pp.

Carlos Seidl's position became untenable given the massive attacks by the press and numerous political representatives from the federal capital. Carlos Chagas: hero of the Spanish flu. The selection of Theophilo Torres as Seidl's replacement only made things worse. In light of criticisms of the ex-director of Public Health and of Wenceslau Braz, the press began calling for a new model of government bureaucrat, 18 with the support of the population and of political groups who were interested in seeing public health become part of the country's political agenda and, through it, establishing new ways of wielding and normatizing power.

The public health authorities had never had their consciousness awoken to the need to verify the emerging morbus , had never aimed a sharp, keen eye towards recognizing that the work of Oswaldo Cruz had faded away, owing to the unconscionable inertia of the incapacity of the activities of the administration of Mr. Wenceslau Braz. It was this man, Mr.

Presidents Pandemics and Politics ISBN 1349956988 Isbn-13 9781349956982

Theophilo Torres, that he found for the job. It was this man, and he himself has declared that he has no scientific responsibility in this case" Nascimento, , pp.

Nicanor Nascimento's discourse 19 gives us a clear idea of how the pandemic event contributed to Oswaldo Cruz's enthronement as a myth-like figure Brito, and Carlos Chagas' recognition as his scientific heir. The residents of the federal capital insisted that Chagas head the service agency that would fight the Spanish flu; encouraged by the press, which had successfully roused the people, this demand was also embraced by the government as a way of averting bigger political losses.

Yet before the outbreak of the epidemic, Chagas had grappled with problems as head of Manguinhos. Following Oswaldo Cruz's death in , some members of the Institute did not agree with Chagas' appointment to replace him. When he took charge of government response to the epidemic, the flu was already ebbing. It was in this context that Carlos Chagas began to be seen as a genius: the only man capable of saving the country from this carnage. The political capital that he had acquired even before the influenza epidemic gave him enough public prestige that he was seen as the only person capable of turning the situation around.

The following statement by Mr. Nelson Antonio Freire portrays this in the eyes of those who were the targets of the disease:. The general feeling in the city, wherever it was, was that all would perish sooner or later, that the capital would become a ghost town. It was hoped someone could do something, but at the same time, we knew this hope might be in vain. The summoning of Dr.

Carlos Chagas brought great relief. As if he were the only one who could control this carnage. Since he had been the right arm of Dr. Oswaldo Cruz, who fought yellow fever, nothing could be more appropriate than his leading the fight against this calamity. He was a scientist, he had discovered the microbe of Chagas' disease; it was believed he could find the explanation and the cure, for he had enough credentials to give him legitimacy. It was hard to understand, especially after all the arguments presented by Dr. Penna, 20 who a few years earlier had published a series of articles in newspapers and given countless lectures all over, that the public health authorities simply would simply say: 'We don't know what it is, how to cure it, it's benign, don't be afraid'.

The newspapers and the streets showed that the number of deaths was stupendous Nelson Antonio Freire, interview to the author, Sep. According to Norbert Elias, a 'genius' is a product of a social construct, fruit of social pressures and of interdependence with other social actors of his time.

This kind of actor often finds himself drawn into an unplanned social process, and is very often chosen to meet a social demand Elias, b. Carlos Chagas ended up meeting a subjective demand that was politically necessary from the population's point of view.

The demand secured credibility thanks to the sanitarian's posture and to his transformation into the genius who saved the country and the people during the epidemic. Thanks to the Spanish flu, Chagas, along with other hygienists in his group, reached positions of political power and attained medical knowledge of the event. This is not to say the event made control of medical knowledge possible, but it did foster greater social and political control, embodied in the figure of Chagas and in his connection to Oswaldo Cruz.

The Spanish flu thus permitted the reaffirmation of the prestige and power of a professional group with a vocation for political leadership in the intended project to modernize society. What was being constructed simultaneously was the notion of a leader who could overcome obstacles to efficacious anti-flu initiatives, a leader who reflected the image of Oswaldo Cruz and left people with "the certainty that they were being protected" Chagas Filho, , p. Of course, Oswaldo Cruz's supporters and those advocating the expansion and reformulation of sanitary policies and institutions saw this moment as a tremendous opportunity to augment their symbolic and political capital.

Hygienists saw it as a chance to reinforce not only their professional and social prestige, their habitus , but also their place in the field as vital players in the modernization of Brazilian society. Cruz served to legitimize the movement's ideas and activities. This image of Cruz and the fact that Carlos Chagas was seen as his intellectual heir in lent substantial political and social capital to Chagas and to the rural public health movement. Accordingly, Chagas was viewed as the only scientist capable of solving the problems caused by the killer Spanish flu. Still, Oswaldo Cruz had always had his detractors.

Animosities were bred when he was head of Public Health because he was constantly challenging the elites, as well as a number of other economic, political, and social groups. These animosities were also shared by the public at large, who felt threatened by the aggressive, authoritarian measures enforced in the fight against diseases especially yellow fever , measures that clashed with civil liberties and the economic interests of the day. The hygienist had constantly been forced to negotiate reforms with various social and political sectors.

His scientific legitimacy meant that ties of identity and political interest were woven around his figure. But "death silenced all ill-wills" Brito op. Along with the figure of the sanitarian Oswaldo Cruz, Counselor Rodrigues Alves gained great prestige among residents of the capital 'counselor' being an honorary title granted during the time of the Empire.

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His rehabilitation came about during the same time he ran for and was re-elected to a new term as president, shortly before the epidemic. According to an article in O Paiz Oct. At a time when foreign dangers and domestic concerns were causing Brazilians apprehension about the future of our nationality, it would seem that we should have been spared the anxiety-provoking angst caused by epidemic scourges. Funding diminished year by year.

We are convinced that the sanitary problem will be one of the first matters to which the eminent Mr. Rodrigues Alves will have to pay careful heed. The federal capital was the prime locus of political representation, of construction of a national identity and sovereignty, and of the political interests that represented the entire country Argan, , and so its state of disorder was a source of shame. This was especially true since the question of a nation's capacity for self-determination was on the order of the day, in preparation for the Paris Peace Conference. The level of disorganization into which the city of Rio de Janeiro sank was seen as consequence of Wenceslau Braz's incompetence and lack of strategies for reining in the political, economic, and social chaos engendered by the Spanish flu, or his inability to deal with any other unusual event.

Rodrigues Alves' supporters had exploited the outbreak of the epidemic for political purposes Santos, ; the Counselor was depicted as a herald of hope, a politician committed to the public good and, above all, to the management of sanitary and public health issues. Rodrigues Alves' candidacy had been heavily criticized by the press, especially the paper O Imparcial. Labeled a " cambalacho palaciano " palatial bamboozler , he was accused of trying to protect the policies of governing officials by imposing the candidacy of an old man "whose dangerously precarious health" would force the country to "bear the inestimable evils of the period of acephalia, owing to the incursions of the cabal upon the inauguration of a government of invalids" O Imparcial , Sep.

The same paper went on to say that there was no way Rodrigues Alves could live up to the responsibilities of his office and would become a dupe in the hands of this cabal. At the same time, they show how the Spanish flu served as a valuable tool for political maneuvering; it was used to establish a political image of Rodrigues Alves as a go-getting politician worried about people's health and capable of taming the political forces and stumbling blocks inherent to the republican institutional system itself. The references to Counselor Rodrigues Alves reminded everyone that:.

The measures that should now be taken to defend the population of Rio and of Brazil must of course have occurred to his spirit, and especially the names from among which to choose those whose shoulders will bear the tremendous responsibility of defending the Public Health. You all will have noticed that now just as much importance is attached to choosing the future head of Public Health as to choosing new ministers. The population is anxious to learn the name of the chosen person, discuss the merits of those who are indicated, and ask that the future president make a felicitous appointment.

But first and foremost, it must be someone who displays great personal prestige and who knows how to stand up to the government itself A Noite , Oct. The epidemic provided members of both the medical and political fields with a whole symbolic framework applicable in constructing a discourse that made the disease a strategic item on the public policy agenda Bourdieu, It likewise reinforced the figure of the hygienist as an actor capable of bringing these undesirable relations under control. The dramatic nature of the event made people aware of their social interdependence and, consequently, of the unfeasibility of isolated public health initiatives Hochman, op.

Based on researchers' findings, blood extracted from flu victims and vaccines made from filterable mucus were also considered options by those seeking a cure to the Spanish flu. But in November, as the epidemic lost some of its force, there was not enough material for further studies, and research had to be postponed. The medical community adopted a cautious, reserved stance, and one of great curiosity as well. The epidemic handed these men the opportunity to re-assert themselves as an intelligentsia indispensable to the smooth workings of society and to the development and expansion of health policies and institutions that could defend the population from new sanitary disasters.

These professionals were viewed as the only ones who could respond to the negative effects of social interdependence that had sprung from this collective disease. This meant it would be necessary to find the cause of all these troubles in order to get society back on track. The discovery of the sickness's causal agent gave Chagas a chance to accumulate symbolic capital and, consequently, reinforce his position in the field professional or political , strengthening his scientific authority and his role as a social reformer.

A new perception of the environment, of public health services, and of anti-epidemic policies is achieved through hygiene and public health initiatives and the knowledge acquired through these. Consequently, many physicians came to see the public health field not only during the epidemic in question as a source of new knowledge on diseases, research, and observations and also as a bridge to professional, social, and political recognition and capital.

Wonks in Exile

This book is an examination of the manner in which American presidents respond to pandemics and other public health crises. Skidmore argues that. Read "Presidents, Pandemics, and Politics" by Max J. Skidmore available from Rakuten Kobo. Sign up today and get $5 off your first purchase. This book is an.

Despite the differences between their areas of knowledge and practice, they had always been interdependent. Based on the art of the laboratory, public health dictated the parameters to be followed in medical practice Brandt and Gardner, Although bacteriology saw its discourse questioned during the epidemic, it lent public health ideological and political legitimacy and was fundamental to the re-assertion of the scientific authority of hygienists and laboratory scientists Pelling, As the third party in every social relation, the microbe demands the presence of a fourth party: "the discoverer of microbes" Latour, , pp.

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As a consequence, they ended up playing an important role by interrupting or redefining these relations. Through these biological relations with the microbe, even the simplest social relations, as well as relations with the environment, were reshaped.

We see this notion expressed in the pamphlet Previna-se contra a gripe Protect yourself from the flu :. My friend, if it's a cold you've caught. Don't you get near me, please. I'm weak; I always speak my thoughts:. Sou franco, digo o que penso.