Charlatans versus honorable physicians: professional discourse on virtue and good practice in Spain (1820-1860)

Abstract

Corruption, fraud, or immoral practices have become a trending to- pic in historiography. This article analyzes the medical discourse against charla- tanry and fraudulent professional practice in mid-19th century Spain. Traceable at least to the Enlightenment and framed within abroader discursive strategy, the critique of charlatanry created a plausible counter-model to construct the ideal of a virtuous professional whose good work was guaranteed by standardi- zed training and by an understanding of medicine as a science useful to the country and to mankind. The coexistence of a «legitimate» medicine with alternative practices has characterized the history of medicine. The 19th century, however, saw the truly transnational boom of a discourse denouncing so–called charla- tans, i.e., people who engaged in the art of healing without official credentials or carried out practices that were considered immoral, fraudulent, or non-scientific. This discourse was articulated and disseminated through professional communi- cation channels such as the medical press. It happened during a period when aradical transformation of the medical profession was taking place in Spain and elsewhere in Europe, and physicians strove to reaffirm the status of their pro- fession as an honorable occupation and to compete for patients/clients in the shifting conditions of the modern market. We also underline the role of the state in recognizing, demarcating, and sanctioning the physicians’ expert authority. At the same time, physicians were calling for the state to become involved in the fight against professional fraud and charlatanry.