Smallpox prevention in Portugal during the mid-19th century (1834-1851)

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to assess the state of vaccination in Portugal in the second quarter of the 19th century, specifically during the consolidation of the new constitutional monarchy, by analysing the ways in which smallpox prevention mechanisms were implemented. The study endeavours to frame Portuguese vaccination policies and practices in the European context, based on documentation produced by the national Public Health Council, the body responsible for health policies at the time. The research centred on the publications of the Annaes do Conselho de Saúde Pública do Reino between 1838 and 1842, and on the work carried out by Neves e Melo, director of the Instituição Vacínica and coordinator of vaccination policies in Portugal between 1846 and 1851. It was concluded that vaccination practices in Portugal were well below those in more developed European states, despite the efforts made by the Portuguese health authorities to improve the situation.