Entre a “Mendigópolis” e o “Recife Novo”: reforma urbana, higiene e políticas de saúde para as mulheres no governo de Sérgio Loreto (Pernambuco, 1922 - 1926)

Abstract

This research intends to analyze the administration of Sergio Loreto, governor of the state of Pernambuco, Brazil, from 1922 to 1926, regarding policies to address women issues. Pursuing the ideals of progress and civilization, which permeated the elites’ projects at the time, Pernambuco (and especially its capital, Recife), experienced broad urban reforms intended to mitigate the image of a dangerous place, suggested by the presence of beggars, vagrants, and prostitutes in the streets, besides the low-quality housing that brought health risks and a threat to the development of the state. It is in this context that the ideology of hygiene is strengthened, with science and medical discourse being foundational in the decision-making process during that time. Combatting infant mortality became a central issue, and public health policies addressed to women were created. Women’s bodies, seen and interpreted as civilizational potentials, were the target of several measures, such as prenatal care, wet nurse inspection, breastfeeding campaigns, and registration of midwives, which tensioned gender relations during that period. The sources used in this research were the newspapers A Notícia, Jornal do Commercio, Diário do Estado – which presented news concerning the state’s decisions under a situationist perspective – and A Noite, Jornal do Recife, Pina-Jornal, and Torre-Jornal – which brought news about urban daily life, as well as criticisms to the government. Official documents were also used, such as the annual messages from the governor to the Legislative Congress, the Jornal Saúde e Assistência, which published new health policies, and censuses, which allowed for a comprehension of the patterns of birth, marriage, and mortality rates during those four years.