Social Work

FACSIMILE

Social Work

Maria Angélica de Almeida Peres^I; Tânia Cristina Franco Santos^II; Pacita Geovana Gama de Sousa Aperibense^III

^I Doutora em Enfermagem. Professora Adjunta da Escola de Enfermagem Anna Nery (EEAN)/ UFRJ. Membro da Diretoria Colegiada do Núcleo de Pesquisa de História da Enfermagem Brasileira (Nuphebras)

^II Doutora em Enfermagem. Pós-Doutora em História da Enfermagem na Universidad de Valladolid. Professora Associada da EEAN/ UFRJ. Membro da Diretoria Colegiada do Nuphebras

^III Mestre em Enfermagem. Membro da Diretoria Colegiada do Nuphebras

Presentation

The article entitled "Social Work", published in the journal Annals of Nursing in September 1937 - written by Edith de Magalhães Fraenkel - was presented at the II International Feminine Congress in Rio de Janeiro.

The situational context of the publication of this article permeated the moment in which the Anna Nery School of Nursing was being incorporated to the University of Brazil (UFRJ) as a complementary institution; and at that point, it also became responsible for offering the course of Social Work, simultaneously with the existing Nursing course.

Edith a prominent figure of Brazilian nursing who was very involved in the social work scene in the 1930s - addresses the following aspects in her article: organization of social work, methods of social work and the social work profession.

The article emphasizes the need to study the characteristics of the help provided to the needy so as to avoid creating dependency, which, according to the author, if present, jeopardizes the understanding of the goals of philanthropic activities.

In defining the organization of social work, the author emphasizes the need to have experts in medical matters (including psychology besides pathology, and notions of the social effects of the diseases that pose a public health problem, such as tuberculosis, alcoholism and sexually transmitted diseases), as well as in matters related to ethics, education and labor, plus epistemological notions about birth and death.

In addressing the methods of social work, the author describes the two key points for their implementation: the historical study of the case and its diagnosis. For the first, she emphasizes the psychological astuteness the professional must have when asking questions and for the second, she highlights the power of observation and theoretical knowledge necessary. Finally, she introduced the profession of social worker as a profession new to women, stressing the need for gender-inherent qualities, and the need to found a school for the training of these professionals, independent of the Anna Nery School of Nursing.

Publication Dates

• Publication in this collection
  22 June 2010
• Date of issue
  June 2010