1, 2 Identification - Tom Zé
Known to humanity since the Middle Ages, it was in the first decades of the 19th century that cholera actually became a pandemic. Emerging from the Middle East and reaching western Europe, it struck the British Isles and, from there, was carried by immigrants to North America, spreading to nearly every corner of the world.
Brazil only became acquainted with the disease during its third global wave, which occurred in 1855. Here, cholera first landed in Pará, at the beginning of the year, brought by ships coming from Portugal, and it quickly spread to several coastal cities. In August, it reached Rio de Janeiro.
Identified as the first symptomatic case at the time, an enslaved man who was on board the steamship São Salvador, which arrived in the Empire's capital in July 1855, was quickly taken to the Santa Casa de Misericórdia. This first patient – who survived – was followed by many others who multiplied along the coastline and mangroves, despite the sanitary cordons adopted by the local government.
Rio had already experienced an epidemic that had drawn the government's attention five years earlier. After the yellow fever outbreak in the court, around 1849, the Junta de Higiene Pública was created in 1850, marking a shift in the State's role regarding public health. Until then, the most vulnerable population — which suffered the most from the epidemics that, from the mid-19th century onward, began occurring cyclically — was taken in by the Hospital da Santa Casa de Misericórdia, a charitable institution.
Hospital da Santa Casa da Misericórdia - Santa Luzia Beach. Engraving by Pieter Godfred Bertichen, 1856. Collection: Coleção Brasiliana Itaú
Image description: This is a black-and-white engraving, dated 1856, depicting the Santa Casa da Misericórdia Hospital located on Santa Luzia Beach. The image shows a panoramic view of the area, with the central hospital, a building with columns and a dome, and a tower to the left. In front, there is a square with people walking and riding horses. In the background, there is a row of trees and a ship in the distance. In the lower right corner, it is signed "P. Bertichen del & lith." and in the lower left corner, "Lith. Imp. Reisburg En la Corte".Crowds of people and the shared use of fountains with contaminated water were the main causes of the disease's spread. The city, which at the time had serious sanitation problems, saw the poorest part of its population struck by the severe diarrhea and dehydration caused by infection with Vibrio cholerae bacteria. In August of that year, an epidemic situation was declared in the capital, which reached its peak in November. The disease was breaking records for daily deaths and exceeded the total deaths of the previous epidemic. Enslaved people and freedmen were the most affected among Rio de Janeiro residents.
Dom Pedro Visiting the Cholera Victims. Oil painting by Louis-Auguste Moreaux, c. 1863
Image description: This is an oil painting by Louis-Auguste Moreaux, dated around 1863. The scene depicts Dom Pedro visiting cholera patients during the great epidemic of 1855-1856. On the left side, we see people standing, dressed in black and gray clothing, while on the right are patients seated on the floor, covered by red sheets. In the center, Dom Pedro, in military uniform, is in conversation with one of the patients. The predominant colors are shades of gray, black, and red.The high mortality caused by cholera was recorded in the increased burials at the São Francisco Xavier cemetery, formerly Campo da Misericórdia, in the Caju neighborhood. By mid-1856, the city had seen more than 4,800 people die from cholera, according to a report by José Pereira Rego, a physician and member of the Public Hygiene Board and future Baron of Lavradio. Of the officially counted victims, half were enslaved people, subjected to terrible sanitary conditions.
Jornal do Commercio, 12/08/1855. Ed. 221, p5. Collection of the Fundação Biblioteca Nacional - Hemeroteca.
Image description: The image is a black and white informational poster. It is arranged vertically, with the title "CHOLERA-MORBUS" prominently displayed at the top. Below the title, there is a description about the symptoms, causes, treatment, and administration of medicines for cholera-morbus. The text mentions a specific page from a book and the address of a homeopathic medicine shop. The background is white, and the text is written in black. There are no additional images or illustrations in the picture.Quarantine impositions on ships and increased funding for treating the sick took effect a year after the epidemic began. In July 1856, the great cholera outbreak subsided in Rio de Janeiro. In 1867, the disease was back throughout the province of Rio de Janeiro, though with less intensity in the capital. It was only considered eradicated by the end of the 19th century.
