WORKERS, TECHNOLOGY AND HEALTH: THE CONSTRUCTION OF CARDIOLOGY AS A MEDICAL SPECIALTY IN BRAZIL (1930S AND 1940S)

The article examines the constitution of cardiology as a medical specialty in Brazil in the 1930s and 1940s. In the context of the implementation of the social protection system by the Getulio Vargas administration, cardiovascular diseases gained visibility in the debate on the health and productivity of urban workers. Some physicians argued that the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of these diseases required specialized know-ledge and practices, such as electrocardiography. The dissemination of this technology in Brazil benefited from exchanges with US doctors, intensified at the time by the Good Neighbor Policy. We argue that the establishment of cardiology as a specialty resulted from the association between demands for the reproduction of the workforce, socio-pro-fessional interests in the medical field, and transnational networks of inter-American scientific cooperation.