Abstract

PASQUALE, Mariano Di. Diego Alcorta and diffusion of medical knowledge in Buenos Aires, 1821-1842. Dynamis [online]. 2014, vol.34, n.1, pp.125-146. ISSN 2340-7948.  https://dx.doi.org/10.4321/S0211-95362014000100007.

The aim of this article is to analyse the medical knowledge that Dr Diego Alcorta derived from the French tradition, especially from the Idéologie movement, in the context of the University of Buenos Aires between 1821 and 1842. It analyses the circulation of these teachings alongside those of the Montpellier School, which were adapted and located at the local level, and their gradual impact on academia as an important phenomenon in the incipient formation of the medical profession in Buenos Aires. Alcorta emphasised the importance of observation as a diagnostic and therapeutic method and called for an empirical approach to medical teaching and research, which introduced a specific practical activity, i.e., hospital clinical work. This article also examines the transmission of a physiological «language» and its relevance to subsequent generations, asking what happened to these practical procedures and the dissemination of new physiological knowledge. This complex question is addressed by discussing the PhD theses developed in the Department of Medicine of the University of Buenos Aires during this period, which provide confirmation of the presence of the sensualist and physiological language derived from the teachings of Alcorta and its impact on the practice of medicine.

Keywords : Diego Alcorta; medical knowledge; Idéologie; Buenos Aires; 19th century.

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