{"id":391740,"date":"2021-04-30T17:58:11","date_gmt":"2021-04-30T20:58:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/revistapesquisa.fapesp.br\/?p=391740"},"modified":"2021-04-30T17:58:11","modified_gmt":"2021-04-30T20:58:11","slug":"physician-anthropologist-and-broadcaster","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/revistapesquisa.fapesp.br\/en\/physician-anthropologist-and-broadcaster\/","title":{"rendered":"Physician, anthropologist, and broadcaster"},"content":{"rendered":"

In a \u201cnostalgia chronicle,\u201d published in 1961 in the journal Correio da Manh\u00e3<\/em> (Morning mail), Minas Gerais poet Carlos Drummond de Andrade (1902\u20131987) described his friend Edgard Roquette-Pinto (1884\u20131954) as a man who \u201cloved his land and wanted to serve his people.\u201d The tribute recognized the efforts of the Rio academic in the establishment of Society Radio in 1923 as the country\u2019s first radio broadcaster, which was later transferred to the Ministry of Education under the name Radio MEC. However, decades before dedicating himself to being one of Brazil\u2019s radio broadcasting pioneers, Roquette-Pinto worked in scientific research, moving between areas including medicine, anthropology, and museology. He contributed to the study of indigenous culture and to the establishment of audiovisuals as a tool for science literacy.<\/p>\n

His published works in the early twentieth century reveal a scientist with a multifaceted profile, in the words of journalist Cl\u00e1udio Bojunga, grandson and biographer of Roquette-Pinto: \u201cMy grandfather had a personality characterized by both versatility and depth.\u201d This trait, says Bojunga, explains his eclectic trajectory starting in his student days at the Rio de Janeiro School of Medicine (today part of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro). His course completion project was about indigenous medical practices.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is strange to imagine that a doctor, with all the distinction attributed to this role, was keen to study such healing techniques, adding to the physician role such procedures characterized at the time as primitive,\u201d says anthropologist Rita de C\u00e1ssia Melo Santos, from the Federal University of Para\u00edba (UFPB). \u201cWhile he did not give up this characterization, Roquette-Pinto used these populations to build a relative otherness, recognizing the progressive stages of the medical functions of indigenous rituals,\u201d explains Santos, author of the book No cora\u00e7\u00e3o do Brasil: A expedi\u00e7\u00e3o de Roquette-Pinto \u00e0 serra do Norte<\/em> (In the heart of Brazil: The expedition of Roquette-Pinto to the northern sierra) (Brazilian National Museum, 2020).<\/p>\n

His interest in anthropology emerged during physiology classes with physician Augusto Brant Paes Leme (1862\u20131943). \u201cSome of the classes covered anthropological topics, more specifically the study of human races,\u201d notes Santos. Until the first decades of the twentieth century, anthropology was very different from today. \u201cIt was a kind of sister discipline to medicine,\u201d comments historian Vanderlei Sebasti\u00e3o de Souza, from the State University of the Central-West (UNICENTRO), in Paran\u00e1. \u201cStudies in this area were primarily conducted by doctors, biologists, and naturalists. At that time, it was practiced as a physical anthropology dedicated to studying the human evolutionary process and strongly characterized by concepts of racial determinism,\u201d says Souza, scholar of the works of Roquette-Pinto.<\/p>\n

In 1905, the recently graduated, young doctor won the public competition and became an assistant in the Anthropology, Ethnology, and Archaeology Section of the Brazilian National Museum in Rio de Janeiro. He remained with the institution for three decades and held the position of director between 1926 and 1935. It was in his early years at the museum that Roquette-Pinto developed his interest in ethnographic expeditions.<\/p>\n

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\u2002 Brazilian National Museum Archive<\/span><\/a> Room created by the anthropologist at the Brazilian National Museum in honor of Euclides da Cunha\u2002 Brazilian National Museum Archive<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

The first field project was on the coast of Rio Grande do Sul, studying middens\u2014large mounds of shells, animal bones, and other archeological remnants. When he arrived at the middens, Roquette-Pinto was surprised by the destruction of most of the deposits he had to research. \u201cHe compensated for the absence of study objects by describing the territory,\u201d says Santos. The report was considered by anthropologist Lu\u00eds de Castro Faria (1913\u20132004) as an ethnographic work \u201cwith an admirable literary flavor,\u201d for its portrayal of the minutia of not only the countryside, but also the conditions of river navigation, forms of housing construction, and small-scale fishing techniques. The notes from this expedition provided clues about how Roquette-Pinto acted as an anthropologist. In the scope of physical anthropology, the primary interest of scholars at the time was to study anthropometric characteristics of the \u201cprimitive peoples,\u201d who were isolated from \u201ccivilization.\u201d Bones and brains were measured to understand differences between human races.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn this period, race was considered a valid biological concept for humans and they were differentiated by physical and mental aspects. Crossbreeding between individuals of different races was considered harmful,\u201d explains anthropologist Ricardo Ventura Santos, from the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (FIOCRUZ) and from the National Museum in Rio de Janeiro. According to this view, crossbreeding led to degeneration.<\/p>\n

Even though the anthropological work of Roquette-Pinto was, in some way, influenced by this biological perspective, he distanced himself from the racist theories that were being spread by naturalists, such as Frenchman Arthur de Gobineau (1816\u20131882).<\/p>\n

In the book Rond\u00f4nia: Antropologia-etnografia<\/em> (Rondonia: Anthropology-ethnography) (1917), which was considered his best scientific work, the researcher puts in writing a view that is contrary to the extreme racial determinism that was present in Brazilian anthropology. \u201cIn various places in the book, he refers to anthropology as a venture to understand the most profound issues of the human experience,\u201d says Ventura.<\/p>\n

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Reproduction <\/span><\/a> Roquette-Pinto during recordingReproduction <\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

Rond\u00f4nia<\/em> is the fruit of Roquette-Pinto\u2019s participation in the Rondon Commission in 1912. The expeditions organized by marshal C\u00e2ndido Rondon (1865\u20131958) had the participation of botanists, zoologists, and other scientists who studied the fauna and flora of the places that were visited and who undertook ethnographic research of the cultural material of indigenous groups. In the book, the idea of race is present, but it is not restricted to a biological perspective. \u201cRoquette-Pinto also considered social aspects, habits, and customs of peoples, such as the Nambiquara in Mato Grosso,\u201d notes Ventura. \u201cHe defended that, along with biological attributes, the social dimension helped to better understand the capacities and potential of a race.\u201d<\/p>\n

Following this logic, Roquette-Pinto did not accept the idea that what was wrong with Brazil was the result of mixing races, says Souza: \u201cHe opposed the biological determinism that was present in intellectual circles at the beginning of the twentieth century.\u201d Crossbreeding of races and the presence of indigenous and African peoples in the formation of Brazil, therefore, did not interfere with the development of the country. \u201cThe reason for Brazil being behind,\u201d he said, \u201cwas the lack of public policies in areas such as sanitation, habitation, health, and education.\u201d Souza remembers Roquette-Pinto\u2019s renowned phrase: \u201cBrazil\u2019s problem is disease, not race.\u201d<\/p>\n

Contact with the Eugenia<\/strong>
\nIn 1929, Roquette-Pinto published Nota sobre os tipos antropol\u00f3gicos<\/em> (A note about anthropological types), in which he defends that no \u201cbrasiliana\u201d\u2014a term he preferred to \u201cBrazilian\u201d\u2014population type presented any anthropological degeneration stigma. From there, he became a central figure in the discussions about migration, making him an opponent to immigration policies for Europeans with the purpose of \u2018whitening\u2019 Brazil.<\/p>\n

The project was presented at the 1st<\/sup> Brazilian Eugenia Conference in Rio de Janeiro, and which he led. The concept of Eugenia proposes that there are races or individuals that are superior to others, based on hereditary principles. \u201cAt first glance, it seems rather ambiguous to participate in a meeting with this topic,\u201d recognizes Souza. \u201cAbove all, he sympathized with the Eugenia, believing in the possibility of human growth, independent of race.\u201d
\nThe Eugenia, who were defended by Roquette-Pinto, were influenced by the 1900 rediscovery of the public works of Austrian monk Gregor Mendel (1822\u20131884) from 1865. Researchers from around the world returned to studies of heredity and genetic variability in animal and plant species. The most radical of the Eugenia hijacked Mendel\u2019s studies and started to defend the concept that it would be possible to promote the improvement of the human race, encouraging the reproduction of supposedly healthier couples, points out Souza. Roquette-Pinto stopped writing about the Eugenia when he saw the advancement of a more radical dimension, which shared racist and social-hygiene ideas, led by S\u00e3o Paulo physician Renato Kehl (1889\u20131974), who founded the Eugenic Society of S\u00e3o Paulo.<\/p>\n

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Radio MEC Archive<\/span><\/a> Roquette-Pinto with the pioneers of the Radio Society, in 1924 (center, with a cane<\/em>)Radio MEC Archive<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cRoquette-Pinto was aware of the emergence of antiracist anthropology in the United States and Europe,\u201d says Rita Santos, of UFPB. The Brazilian had an affinity with German-American anthropologist Franz Boas (1858\u20131942), both of whom criticized racial determinism. And for French anthropologist Claude L\u00e9vi-Strauss (1908\u20132009), he stated that his interest for traditional peoples of the Amazon emerged after reading Rondonia<\/em>. In Tristes tr\u00f3picos<\/em> (Sad topics), from 1955, L\u00e9vi-Strauss references the \u201ccharming book of the late Roquette-Pinto.\u201d<\/p>\n

While immersed in anthropology, he did not move away completely from medicine. \u201cHe taught classes in the School of Medicine and lectured on natural history at the Federal District Normal School, which at the time was in Rio,\u201d says Ventura. In the 1920s, he ran a course in physiology at the National University in Asunci\u00f3n, Paraguay. It was an experience with the Rondon Commission that awoke Roquette-Pinto\u2019s passion for educational cinema and broadcasting. During the expedition of 1912, the anthropologist registered photos and audio of the Nambiquara. \u201cHe was very interested in technology, seeing it as an ally in the archiving and distribution of knowledge, and for this reason, built the film library at the National Museum,\u201d says information scientist and FIOCRUZ researcher Alice Ferry de Moraes.<\/p>\n

In 1916, the anthropologist joined a group of 27 scientists who founded the Brazilian Academy of Science (ABC), which beginning in the 1920s began to support scientific education initiatives. \u201cWith this background, the researcher convinced ABC to buy equipment and build the Radio Society of Rio de Janeiro,\u201d explains Moraes. Founded in 1923, the broadcaster had programs on literature, classical music, and science.<\/p>\n

One year earlier, during the celebrations for the 100th<\/sup> anniversary of Independence, in Rio, he met an American who introduced him to radio technology. There was a space in Roquette-Pinto\u2019s home that was full of knick-knacks. There he was able to create a makeshift experimental radio station to learn how a radio network functions in practice.<\/p>\n

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Brazilian National Museum Archives<\/span><\/a> The anthropologist (second, left to right<\/em>) welcomed Albert Einstein (in light-colored suit<\/em>) at the Brazilian National Museum in 1925 Brazilian National Museum Archives<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

Years later, in 1932, the anthropologist joined Brazil\u2019s Education Reform Movement and signed, along with 26 other academics, the Pioneers of New Education Manifest. Rewritten by educator Fernando de Azevedo (1894\u20131974), the document defended public education being available for all and free. A decree enacted that year by then president Get\u00falio Vargas (1882\u20131954) planned for the creation of an agency focused on educational cinema. \u201cIt was based on the policy developed by Roquette-Pinto, which resulted in the creation of the National Educational Cinema Institute, INCE, in 1936,\u201d says Moraes.<\/p>\n

Under the auspices of INCE, there were more than 400 educational films produced, of which 357 were directed by Minas Gerais filmmaker Humberto Mauro (1897\u20131983). \u201cThere was no topic that did not turn into a film: folklore, sewage services, astronomy, tuberculosis, health technologies, and on and on,\u201d says Moraes. The anthropologist was head of INCE between 1937 and 1947 (see<\/em> Pesquisa FAPESP issue<\/em> no. 271<\/em><\/a>).<\/p>\n

In 1936, Roquette-Pinto returned the license for the Radio Society to the federal government, due to financial difficulties to maintain it. The anthropologist made a request of the Minister of Education Gustavo Capanema (1900\u20131985), who convinced Vargas to accept the radio, renaming it Radio MEC. According to his friend Carlos Drummond de Andrade, during the ceremony to formalize the transfer, Roquette-Pinto said to Capanema: \u201cI give this radio with the same emotion that one would marry a daughter.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Inquisitive and inventive, Edgard Roquette-Pinto participated in the country\u2019s antiracial movements and the introduction of radio","protected":false},"author":421,"featured_media":391215,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[152],"tags":[201,220,226,241,247],"coauthors":[740],"class_list":["post-391740","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-retrospect","tag-anthropology","tag-communication","tag-education","tag-history","tag-medicine"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/revistapesquisa.fapesp.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/391740","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/revistapesquisa.fapesp.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/revistapesquisa.fapesp.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/revistapesquisa.fapesp.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/421"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/revistapesquisa.fapesp.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=391740"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/revistapesquisa.fapesp.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/391740\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":391741,"href":"https:\/\/revistapesquisa.fapesp.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/391740\/revisions\/391741"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/revistapesquisa.fapesp.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/391215"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/revistapesquisa.fapesp.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=391740"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/revistapesquisa.fapesp.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=391740"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/revistapesquisa.fapesp.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=391740"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/revistapesquisa.fapesp.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=391740"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}