Urbanização, saúde pública e sanitarismo: a luta contra a tuberculose em Juiz de Fora (1882 – 1941)

Abstract

This thesis conducts a study on the fight against tuberculosis in Juiz de Fora, between the years 1882 and 1941. Endemic bacterial disease, sometimes epidemic, over the centuries tuberculosis accompanied humanity, according to different groups of people. In the context of the postindustrial revolution, in the 19th century, cities gained new contours and urban expansion, together with the large concentration of people migrating from the countryside to the cities, began with a health and social crisis, characterized by poor housing and food conditions, making people more vulnerable about diseases. In Juiz de Fora, it was no different. As an important trading post, the municipality got rich with coffee production, whose capital financed the establishment of textile and food industries in its territory. As a result, a large contingent of immigrant labor was added to the egress of slavery, which culminated in the spread of collective and unhealthy housing, which became known as outbreaks of the spread of diseases, such as tuberculosis. Thus, in order to preserve the health of the population, especially workers, a group of philanthropic agents got together to create the Liga Mineira contra a Tuberculose, in 1900, which gradually took over part of the municipality health services, in a context in which the The State did not assume this responsibility. This work, therefore, seeks to understand how the fight against tuberculosis boosted the creation and institution of health policies in Juiz de Fora, whose effects were observed in the numerous changes promoted in the urban space. For this, we used the annual report of the Liga Mineira contra a Tuberculose, many of which were published in the press, as well as the various normative instruments related to sanitation in the city, namely: Code of Postures, sparse legislation, embargoes and permits issued by the Secretaria de Obras, bulletins from the Board of Hygiene, obituaries, burial guides and other documents that are convenient to substantiate the execution of this research. Thus, it can be seen that, following an international movement to combat tuberculosis, Juiz de Fora, through a select group of men and women, implemented a series of improvements in the urban space and in the health services offered, albeit unevenly, the population.