Orthopathy in 19th century Peru: Sebastián Lorente and the catechism of hygiene

Abstract

Orthopathy appeared in Peru in the 19th century in various guises and different spheres that transcended the activities of doctors. Sebastián Lorente, a doctor and educator, promoted hygiene education for schoolchildren through the publication of a Catechism of Hygiene, which went through multiple editions in the second half of the century. The structure and content of the Catechism is linked to European medical traditions such as the miasmatic interpretation of diseases, but also to local traditions like the medical topography of Hipólito Unanue, both of which had a vision of imposing “healthy”behaviors on the population, which assimilated the work of Johann Peter Frank.