Assistance in the former province of Rio de Janeiro: contributions to the debate about its organization (1930-1890)

Abstract

This article aims discuss how the assistance was built in four municipalities of the province of Rio de Janeiro throughout the nineteenth century: Cabo Frio, Vassouras, Valença and Niterói, capital of the province. Four distinct experiences that allow us to question the meanings of the creation of care institutions in these cities. From the guiding question - how were “universal” models of care organization applied to establish health services in Brazilian cities, taking into account local particularities? - four different experiences will be analyzed: Santa Izabel Charity of Cabo Frio (1830-1837); Holy House of Mercy of Valença (1838), Holy House of Mercy of Vassouras (1853) and Santa Leopoldina Asylum in Niterói (1854). The study of these institutions allows us to understand the Municipalities Act of 1828 as an important political framework for understanding its creation; besides inserting them, also, in the imperial sociability, where the support for (and of) the new fluminense elite can be perceived in the opening of Houses of Charity, as a way to please the Emperor or to thank the desired / received mercy.

Key-works:
Assistance; Philanthropy; Poverty; Health