Social Investment in Medical Forms: The 1866 Cholera Scare and Beyond

Abstract

With rare exceptions, the 1866 cholera scare has been regarded as an anti-climax to the epidemics of the previous decades. Cholera did not assume epidemic form in Canada in 1866, and the scare has been seen as a non-event. In contrast to earlier epidemics, however, on this occasion the government acted rapidly in anticipation of disease. A conference of medical experts was convened, existing wisdom on cholera was assembled, and a public education campaign was conducted to reassure and prepare citizens. The Public Health Act was proclaimed and a group of doctors, themselves still struggling for professional recognition, was accorded extensive powers over the police of towns and the conduct of individual citizens. Quarantine regulations were reorganized and made much more extensive. Locally, it is suggested, the threat of cholera stimulated interest and activity in the name of the public health, particularly through sanitary initiatives. The scare contributed to the formation of local associations, connected in a network that would later issue in an attempt at national sanitary investigation. The deputy minister of agriculture, Joseph-Charles Tache, recently engaged to reform the statistical apparatus of government, in alliance with other activists, attempted to invest the domain of public health in forms that would make it into an object of intervention. Abstract: A quelques exceptions pres, la peur du cholera de 1866 a ete interprete comme un ‘anti-climax’ aux epidemies des annees 1830, 1840 et 1850. Comme la maladie n’avait pas adoptee une forme epidemique, on a ete porte a croire que que ľevenement comportait peu ďinteret historique. Par contre, en 1866, le gouvernement n’attend pas la declaration de la maladie avant ďagir, ce qui constitue une premiere. On convoque une conference de medecins-experts a Ottawa afin de connaitre la vraie nature de la maladie et afin de definir les mesures necessaires pour la combattre. La loi de la Sante Publique est proclamee et un petit groupe de medecins se voit octroyer des pouvoirs extensifs sur la conduite tant dė la police des villes que du comportement des individus. On procede a la reorganisation et a ľextension des mesures de la quarantaine. Nous proposons que la peur de la peste a provoque un eveil ďactivite en matiere de sante publique dans les localites et a encourage des acteurs a prendre des initiatives sanitaires. Des associations locales se sont formees et se sont joigntes dans un reseau axe sur le Conseil Central de Sante. Sous la direction du ministre-adjoint de ľAgriculture, J.-C. Tache, qui a lui-meme le mandat de renforcer ľappareil statistique, nous remarquons des tentatives ďinvestir le domaine de la sante publique sous formes aptes a le transformer en lieu ďintervention administrative.

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