Abstract
This paper examines the place of schoolbooks in the teaching of hygiene notions in primary schools of São Paulo State, Brazil. According to the guidelines and programs approved during the first decades of the Twentieth Century, that teaching should give priority to the practical dimension. Therefore, the sources used were schoolbooks that deal with issues related to the hygiene and health, in connections with educational programs, as well as photographs that put in scene aspects of childcare classes in schools. The proposed analysis aims to capture - beyond the statements presented in schoolbooks and the ways in which they are articulated to produce children's interpretation - evidence of school practice engendered with the intent of framing the body and health care gestures.
Key-words:
school culture; school practice; hygiene; health.
