Obscenity, Popular Music and Fear of Syphilis in Early 20th century Latin America: A Case Study

• In Event: Critical Times: Writing, Art and Entertainment in the Long 19th-Century

Abstract

"Arcadio Cárdenas te vende píldoras/ y te cura el gálico con alcanfor/ y a las putísimas de tetas lánguidas/ de coño fétido, con purgazón." This paper discusses the intersections of popular culture, medicine, and public policy at the beginning of the 20th century that can be viewed in the previous quote from the recording and lyrics of the song "Pesares" (1930) as interpreted by crowd-pleasing Ecuadorian musician Alberto Valdivieso, also known as "El Diablo ocioso." The analysis of this kind of songs shows how obscene language and unrefined melody served as a vehicle to portray the fear and the need of containment of disease around the topic of syphilis, and how these messages mirrored multilayered beliefs about prostitution, feminine roles, and medical practices

Author

• Juan Carlos González-Espitia, University of North Carolina/Chapel Hill