Medical career, prestige and sociability practices in 1800s

the case of dr. Ernesto Mendo (Espírito Santo, 1860-1895)

Abstract

This article aims, based on a case study, to discuss the relations of sociability and the social prestige that stemmed from the medical career in the second half of the 19th century. For this, we will examine the actions and insertions of Dr. Ernesto Mendo, who held a series of positions, notably as a teacher at the Lyceum, as the Inspector of Public Hygiene and as a physician at the Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Vitória hospital, among others. In addition, Dr. Mendo got involved with local politics, with abolitionist and literary clubs. Thereby, we propose reflections that move from medical practices to relations with the circles of power and of the high society in the state of Espírito Santo in the late 18^th century, based, fundamentally, on the periodicals that circulated in the capital city. For this approach, we use a methodology that approaches issues pertaining to the History of Medicine, such as the concepts of "style of thought" and "collective of thought" developed by L. Fleck (2010[1935]), and the idea of "framing disease" by C. Rosenberg (1992).