Sobre la aclimatación: Boudin y la geografía médica

Abstract

In order to understand the medical geography studies by Boudin, we analyze the differences that set him apart from the acclimatization theories defended during that same historical period by Isidore Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire. Each one of them represents a paradigmatic position in relation to the problem of acclimatization. To understand the difference between these models, we analyze the concept of climate (from Humboldt) undertaken by both as a starting point for their studies, and consider their thoughts on organism variability or flexibility to respond to climatic requirements. This leads us to a study on Boudin's thoughts on the acclimatization of humans and races, and consequently, his thoughts on the colonization issue.

Embracing the cordillera: Luis Carranza Ayarza and the development of environmental imaginaries in late-nineteenth-century Peru

“…Boudin believed that the supposed “cosmopolitanism” of human races was not absolute. With the lack of certainty regarding the predominance of hygienic principles in tropical zones and the ecological stratification of local maladies, Boudin questioned whether effective acclimatization for white populations around the globe could be achieved ( Caponi, 2007 ).…”

Novas raças, novas doenças: a possibilidade colonizadora por meio da mistura racial em History of Brazil (1810-1819) de Robert Southey

“…7 Over the following decades, it featured considerably in the European and Brazilian context, indicating great interest in studying the influence of climate on organisms (Anderson, 1992, p.135;Lisboa, 2013;Caponi, 2007). In the 1810s, however, the term did not have a set semantic use in England, sometimes being regarded as a foreignism because of its French etymology.…”

Félix de Azara, crítico de Buffon

“…En este sentido, se podría considerar a Buffon como un precursor de las tesis 'aclimatacionistas' (Osborne, 1994;Caponi, 2007) que fueron desarrolladas en el Siglo XIX por Isidore Geoffroy Saint Hilaire (1832, 1861) y a las que me referiré un poco más adelante. Pero debemos evitar atribuirle al proceso de degeneración una 'positividad' que Buffon estaba muy lejos de concederle.…”