Headache Medicine, v.7, n.1, p.15-17, Jan./Feb./Mar. 2016 15

Headache and health in the Brazilian Imperial

Period

Cefaleia e saúde em tempos imperiais

Alexandre Campos Pulido

,Caroline Mensor Folchini

, Katia Regina de Moura Vieira

, Pedro André Kowacs

R4 Neurologia - Área de Atuação - Dor - Curirtiba, PR, Brazil

Farmacêutica, Mestranda em Medicina Interna pela UFPR - Curitiba, PR, Brazil

Odontopediatra, Ortodontista e Mestranda em Neurologia da Dor - Curirtiba, PR, Brazil

Coordenador do Setor de Cefaleias do Serviço de Neurologia do HC-UFPR e do

ano de Residência Médica em Neurologia - Área de Atuação: Dor - Curirtiba, PR, Brazil

Pulido AC, Folchini CM, Vieira KRM, Kowacs PA. Headache and health in the Brazilian Imperial Period.

Headache Medicine. 2016;7(1):15-17

HISTÓRIA DA MEDICINA

ABSTRACT

Treatment of headaches always has been a challenge for

people and health care professionals. The purpose of this

article is to review the treatments found in bibliographic

sources of the Brazilian Imperial period, and make a

narrative description. The sources consulted, such as the

"Chernoviz Manual" and the writings of Sigaud revealed

that the treatment of headaches was frequently based on

homemade treatments or Amerindians herbs recipes. Only

recently headache was included as a relevant issue to

medicine, as well as its scientific approach. This article

provides information about the view at that time concerning

to the etiology of headaches and ways of treatment, to

trace a narrative scenario of these aspects in the nineteenth

century in the Empire of Brazil.

Keywords: Headache; Brazilian Imperial period; Headache

etiology; Headache therapy; Headache phytotherapy

RESUMO

O tratamento de dores de cabeça desde sempre foi um

desafio para leigos e para os profissionais da saúde. O

objetivo do presente artigo é revisar os tratamentos en-

contrados na bibliografia do período imperial brasileiro e

fazer uma descrição narrativa destes. As fontes consulta-

das como o "Manual de Chernoviz" e os escritos de Sigaud

revelaram que o manejo das dores de cabeça era fre-

quentemente baseado em tratamentos caseiros ou em re-

ceitas de ervas pelos ameríndios. Só mais recentemente

as dores de cabeça foram incluídas como um problema

relevante e pertinente à medicina, e abordadas de acor-

do com o método cientifico. Este artigo traz informações

sobre a visão relativa à etiologia das dores de cabeça e

suas formas de tratamento, para traçar um cenário narra-

tivo destes aspectos no Brasil Imperial do século XIX.

Palavras -chave: Dor de cabeça; Período imperial brasi-

leiro; Dor de cabeça, etiologia; Dor de cabeça, terapia;

Dor de cabeça, fitoterapia.

INTRODUCTION

From time immemorial mankind has fought battles for

health. Contemporaneously, these battles are fought in

endless public health service lines, as well as the agendas

that are always crowded, the health insurance plans, and

the prohibitive charges?? for private appointments for many

patients. After the independence of the nation, however,

there were other conflicts: lack of scientific knowledge, lack

of qualified professionals and lack of therapeutic arsenal.

In short, lack of ... almost everything!

(1)

During the colonial period in Brazil, there were only

few health professionals to attend the population which

mostly inhabited the countryside, and far from urban

centers. The few doctors had had their training in Europe.

Barbers, traditional healers, midwives, pharmacists and

practical surgeons without any form of supervision or

technical information conducted basic health care.

(1,2)

16 Headache Medicine, v.7, n.1, p.15-17, Jan./Feb./Mar. 2016

PULIDO AC, FOLCHINI CM, VIEIRA KRM, KOWACS PA

In this context of inadequate medical resources, the

aid of medical manuals prevailed, despite being intensely

criticized by the existing medical community. The most

significant of these popular manuals was the Chernoviz

Manual, edited by the Polish Pedro Luiz Chernoviz Napoleon

(1812-1881). Dr. Napoleon was graduated in 1837 in

Montpellier, France, where he met some Brazilian

colleagues. This event resulted in his journey to Rio de

Janeiro in 1840 where he stayed until 1855, returning to

Paris with his wife and several Brazilian-born children. The

Chernoviz Manual style was illuminist, and described

morbid conditions in a clear, simple and informal style, as

well as the available treatments. Dr. Napoleon's point of

view was of a hygienist and mainly based on the writings

of Hippocrates and Galen whose particular approach

attributed the origin of the diseases mainly to the

environment and nutrition, a concept that reflected on

therapeutic approaches.

(2)

The clinical conditions were described accordingly to

the prevailing scientific knowledge on the basic areas of

health: anatomy, physiology and microbiology, among

others. No physician of the Imperial Era would ever consider

two hundred etiologies of headache. To note, Dr J. F. Sigaud

description: "The author divides cephalalgias into three

classes; l. those caused by plethora; II. those idiopathic;

III. those sympathetic".

(3)

Sigaud, during his stay in Brazil carefully observed

and pointed some conditions due to the weather and the

heat. He also mentioned that the Amerindian 'guaraná'

drink was used for the treatment of headaches, even though

its overuse could lead to insomnia. He also mentioned

the use of the native 'paracatepá' milk ('andiroba') and/or

'gapuhi' root infusion (Ficus sp.) for eye pain; bush

cucumber milk (Melothria cucumis, also known as 'taiuiá

doce' or as 'watermelon bird') for 'nerve pain', and

'acàpana' (Anthurium) mixed with woman's breast milk

for ear pain. Also, he referred to a high prevalence of

nervous system diseases in the province of São Paulo, but

this report referred to hysteria and epilepsy, and should

not be taken as an evidence for headache. Studies from

Spix & Martius, who attributed this high prevalence of

neurological conditions to local foods based on

farinaceous dishes, to alcoholism, to climatic conditions,

to the isolation from other centers, and to the lack of

cultural life were also commented by Sigaud. He also

made reference to Giacomini, considering that 'electricity'

could be involved in the origin of these symptoms.

(4-6)

Regarding to headaches, and other medical

conditions, plasters, potions (homemade medicine) and

concoctions were used. The vegetables used were from

gardens and from the cuisine, mostly the species were

brought by the Portuguese from Europe and the East during

the maritime expansion, when Portugal was the biggest

world power.

(5)

Regarding the use of medicinal plants, a

strong influence came from of the Amerindians and African-

borne people background, which overlapped, and

intermingled with mysticism and religion, adding an aura

of mystery. 'Evil eye' motive is not a privilege of the

contemporaneous population as a possible etiological

factor!

(7)

The Royal family fled from an endangered Europe

drowned in the Napoleonic wars, and gave the first start in

the Brazilian medicine and surgery, with the implementation

of the first medical school in Bahia and later in Rio de

Janeiro. At the same time that the Portuguese court came

to Brazil, Europe faced the Industrial Revolution, which

social consequences resulted in the resumption of the

Hippocratic concepts, according to which the disease was

the result of environmental influences - the neo-hippocratic

medicine.

(8)

After more than a century since this period life

expectancy expanded from 30-40 years to around 70

years. Medical knowledge has grown astronomically,

technology has allowed the acquisition of new therapies,

and the number of medical schools has astonishingly

increased. The country became urbanized, providing

access to the health researches and care centers.

Evidence-based medicine replaced empiricism, as well

as the concept that it is unacceptable to expose patients

to any kind of uncontrolled experimentation emerged, for

their sake.

(9)

Medical knowledge advance has brought great

challenges to every health care professional, and many

questions queries have remained open. Whether this applies

to the medicine as a whole, this would be no different in

relation to the study of headaches. Medical knowledge on

headaches has evolved, not only on its etiology, but also

regarding to the available therapies. Nevertheless, there is

still a lot to explore. We have to acknowledge: if headache

was a major "headache" for the physicians in the Brazilian

Imperial era, today it still remains in this way, despite of all

the medical advances.

REFERENCES

1. Guimarães MRC. Chernoviz e os manuais de medicina popu-

lar no Império. História, Ciências, Saúde - Manguinhos.

2005;12(2):501-14.

Headache Medicine, v.7, n.1, p.15-17, Jan./Feb./Mar. 2016 17

Correspondência

Alexandre Campos Pulido

Rua Desembargador Otávio do Amaral 448 ap 44, b, Bigorrilho

Curitiba, Paraná, Brasil

alexandrepulido@hotmail.com

2. Guimarães MRC. Os manuais de medicina popular do Im-

pério e as doenças dos escravos: o exemplo do "Chernoviz".

Revista Latinoamericana de Psicopatologia Fundamental.

2008;11:1-21.

3. Sigaud JF. O Propagador das ciências médicas. In: Sigaud JF.

O Propagador das ciências médicas. 1827;1(5):358-61.

4. Sigaud JFX. Du Climat et des Maladies du Bresil ou Statistique

Médicale de cet Empire. Paris: Chez Fortin, Masson et C",

Libraires. 1844;1-591

5. Amoah SK, Sandjo LP, Kratz JM, Biavatti MW. Rosmarinic Acid -

Pharmaceutical and Clinical Aspects. Planta Med. 2016

Mar;82(5):388-406.

6. Vásquezi SPF, Mendonça MS, Noda SN. Etnobotânica de plan-

tas medicinais em comunidades ribeirinhas do Município de

Manacapuru. Revista Acta Amazonica. 2014;44 (4):454-72.

7. Agaranti LM. Saberes culinários e a boticar doméstica: beberage

elixires e mezinhas no império português (séculos XVI-

XVII).sÆculum - Revista de História. 2012;27:13-30.

8. Souza MDE, Janeiro RDE. Antônio Moniz de Souza, o `Ho-

mem da Natureza Brasileira'. 2008:1025-1038.

9. Costa MCL. "A cidade e o pensamento médico: uma leitura do

espaço urbano", Revista de Geografia da UFC. 2002;1(2).

10. Junior DDEBM, Figueiredo A, Vieira C. Medicina e Império:

Grandes mudanças no panorama científico - de barbeiros a

médico. Revista Alpha. 2012;(3):9-19.

Recebido: March, 15 2016

Aceito: March 25, 2016

HEADACHE AND HEALTH IN THE BRAZILIAN IMPERIAL PERIOD