Valter Martins

In the late nineteenth century, there were yellow fever epidemics in Campinas. Considered a seaside disease, the fever startled lay people and physicians. The scientific debate about the etiology of the disease left the domain of magazines and medical correspondence to orient political and sanitary actions. In order to combat the disease, the city began to resemble a laboratory and experienced its "era of sanitation and demolition," with victories over the ailment and inconvenience to the public. The State Sanitary Commission led by Emilio Ribas, aware of Finlay's Culicidae theory, rehearsed in Campinas what would happen with Oswaldo Cruz and Pereira Passos in Rio de Janeiro. The novelty of combating mosquitoes coexisted with age-old practices dear to miasmatic theory, such as disinfection.