The influence of miasmatic theory on the construction of the Hospital Geral de Santo António in Porto in the nineteenth century.

Abstract

The aim of this work is to ascertain the relevance of the miasmatic theory for the construction and spatial organization of the Hospital Geral de Santo António in Porto, Portugal, in the 19th century, from then recent graduate physicians' viewpoint. The methodology consists of analyzing the inaugural dissertations presented to the Escola Médico-Cirúrgica do Porto in order to assess the physicians' perceptions of the Santo António Hospital building, with emphasis on the relationship between health, medicine and environment. This work intends to contribute to better understand the relationship between the theoretical referential approach to disease and medical practice, at the interface of health, medicine, and environment by analyzing interspecies encounters.