Medicine and visual culture: photography in scientific journals and the production of experimental medical knowledge in Argentina, 1890-1915

Abstract This article addresses how photography was part of the argumentative and expository strategies of medical professionals and its role in the production of experimental knowledge between 1890 and 1915. To investigate these issues, representative medical journals of the period were surveyed, always considering the advances in image reproduction techniques. The analysis carried out allows us to observe how the photographs were part of the explanations presented to the scientific community to persuade the efficacy of experimental treatments and novel surgical procedures, in the context of the professionalization of medicine and the need to legitimize a “culture of the laboratory.”

摘要 本文探讨了1890至1915年间，摄影如何成为医学从业者的论证与阐释策略的组成部分，及其在实验性知识生成过程中所扮演的角色。为探究上述问题，本文调研了该时期具有代表性的医学期刊，并始终结合图像复制技术的发展演进展开分析。通过本次分析，我们得以观察到：在医学职业化进程与确立"实验室文化"合法性的时代需求背景下，摄影图片如何作为向科学界呈现的阐释手段，用以论证实验疗法与新型外科手术操作的有效性。