From a historical viewpoint, all the elements surrounding a disease, from its name to the weight of meaning attached to it, are the result of "negotiations" in which many sections of society are participants. In the case of leprosy, the discovery of sulfones in 1941 made a significant contribution towards transforming our understanding of this disease, leading to questions being raised as to the measures adopted for its prevention and control, particularly the compulsory isolation of sufferers. On the basis of these assumptions, this article examines the debate which took place regarding the process whereby the old prophylactic procedures for the control of leprosy were replaced, in an important national journal, Arquivos Mineiros de Leprologia, in the 1950s.
leprosy; sulfones; anti-isolationist prophylaxis