Lab coats, scalpels, and the art of politics

Abstract The article analyzes the social and historical conditions of the development of medicine as a space for professional activity and domination of a specific occupational field in the state of Sergipe, from the early decades of the twentieth century to the 1960s. One of the main findings is that the process of consolidation in medicine should be understood as part of the changes that guided the restructuring of local agrarian elites to avoid their own decline. The strong rivalry produced within this kinship and consequent fragmentation resulting from conflict led to the expansion of ties and specific targeting for the connections produced in the professional world.