[The scientific journey taken by Neiva and Penna: a blueprint for studies of diseases from the Brazilian hinterland].

Analyze the report by Neiva and Penna, focusing on the contribution these authors made to the study of one of the endemic diseases encountered throughout their journey, which had been long known under the popular name of mal de engasgo (choking disease). They recorded their observations and detailed descriptions of the patients' symptoms and the association frequently encountered between mal de engasgo and another endemic disease, known as vexame or vexame do coração, characterized by bouts of palpitations. Neiva and Penna's epidemiological and clinical observations of mal de engasgo were crucial for all the researchers interested in the disease, especially its relationship with Chagas disease.