A HEALTH PROFESSION AGAINST SMALLPOX: VACCINATORS IN CHILE BETWEEN 1805 AND 1887

This article aims to analyse the process of conformation of the vaccinator as a health profession in Chile between 1805 and 1887. Since the arrival of the smallpox vaccine in Chile it was necessary for a group of people to learn how to apply it and then to travel across the territory to manage it. In accordance with this, it is suggested that the way in which the vaccinators did their work was decisive for the impulse and coverage of vaccination. Likewise, the growing need to increase the number of vaccinated people boosted the conformation of the vaccinator as a profession. This considered the establishment of functions and duties, and both a mechanism to learn and a procedure to supervise its practice. In sum, I argue that the changes that were brought about by the diffusion and expansion of the smallpox vaccine are closely linked to the professionalization of the role of the vaccinator.