Beriberi in Brazil: the historical constitution of a disease

Deficiency diseases were first investigated in Brazil in the second half of the nineteenth century, especially in response to reports of urban poverty. Beriberi, which is currently understood as resulting from vitamin B1 deficiency in the human body, is one of the diseases most researched by scientists and doctors. This analysis proposes to historicize the disease by revisiting the medical debate, observing its social impacts until the constitution of a medical-scientific fact, when Brazilian doctors, inspired by infection- and nutrition-related theories, engaged intensively in discussions until a thought collective was formed, as conceived by Ludwig Fleck, and they agreed it was a vitamin deficiency.

Keywords
Beriberi; Science; Diet; Vitamin; Hunger