The doctor and the so-called “necessary evil.” Prostitution in Guadalajara during the Porfiriato through the scientific research and morals of Jalisco doctor Miguel Galindo Velasco

Abstract

In Guadalajara, prostitution was seen as a social phenomenon that drew the attention of medical hygienists in the nineteenth century. These experts considered prostitutes a serious public health problem, believing they were the main source of syphilitic–venereal diseases and that their behavior was immoral and harmful to society. The beginning of regulations that tolerated prostitution established strong mechanisms of control over brothel owners and especially over the prostitutes themselves. This essay analyzes, from a socio-cultural historical methodology, the dissertation Miguel Galindo presented in 1908 to obtain his Bachelor of Medicine degree. His dissertation was divided into two parts, and this study focuses on the section titled Social Hygiene and Legal Medicine because it addresses prostitution in Guadalajara during the final years of the Porfiriato. In Galindo’s writing, his medical knowledge intertwines with his religious and moral education. His concerns include the consequences of syphilis and the harsh experiences of teenagers who entered prostitution as a means of survival, often exploited by pimps and corrupt intermediaries. Galindo classified prostitutes into categories, a system influenced by Lombrosian theory. Ultimately, his understanding of their personal situations led him to propose regulations aimed at humanizing their living conditions.