Smallpox, which is a very old and highly contagious disease, caused many deaths and left many victims with sequelae in Brazil. Edward Jenner, in the 18th century, was the one who discovered the vaccine against this disease, making this discovery a great victory for science. Jenner, in his research, came to the conclusion that people who worked with cows that had smallpox did not contract the disease so easily, as individuals when infected with cowpox were immune to smallpox human.
The vaccination process arrived in Brazil only in the beginning of the 20th century, with Rio de Janeiro being one of the first cities to offer the vaccine. As it is a very serious disease, politicians thought that the Brazilian population would receive it without any resistance to this vaccine, however, as historian Eliezer Cardoso de Oliveira states in his thesis “Representations of fear and catastrophes in Goiás”, people did not want to be vaccinated by the clash that existed between science and popular culture. Because it was the fear of the unknown that contributed to the fear of receiving something completely different from the customs and habits of different populations throughout Brazil.
The Vaccine Revolt in Rio de Janeiro, in 1904, was the best known resistance against the sanitary measures carried out by the government. The lack of information about the effects of the vaccine and the imposing manner of politicians in forcing cariocas to receive the vaccination contributed to fear and resistance. In all Brazilian states there was fear on the part of the population to receive the vaccine; in Goiás it was no different. Oliveira highlights that the main reasons for popular resistance were in the field imaginary, people were afraid to receive the vaccine because of its origin, believed that children could be born with physical similarities to a bovine.
The fact that the vaccination process was quite time-consuming and painful also caused discomfort. The vaccination points were few and the people from Goiás had to walk a long distance to reach these places and, when they received the application, they had to return fifteen days later for the doctors took advantage of the pustules, that is, the pus that came out of the vaccinated place to be applied to another person, as the amount of vaccine was small and this measure was adopted to be able to vaccinate all. Another reason was that science through the vaccine would be interfering with divine orders and that men were trying to modify the history written by God. There was a fatalistic conception of life and death and the vaccine was an attempt to deceive death, circumventing the divine will. Furthermore, vaccination contradicted traditional medical practices such as bleeding and vomiting that expelled the disease to the outside rather than to the inside as the vaccine does.
Therefore, the resistance of the vaccine was provoked by the clash of traditions with the new, from the clash of the science with mores. The vaccination process was also shown as an example of state interference in people's lives, in the search for civilize Brazilian society. Thus, this revolt showed the discontent of the population against the state and against the attempt of politicians to adopt practices that generated distrust and uncertainty regarding what was shown to be new and unknown, the vaccine.
By Fabricio Santos
Graduated in History
Source: Brazil School - https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/historiab/vacinacao-contra-variola-goias-no-sec-xx.htm
