HEALTH IN THE FIRST REPUBLIC AND DURING THE SOCIAL SECURITY PERIOD IN BRAZIL

Abstract

This article analyzes the development of public health in Brazil during the First Republic (1889-1930) and the early social security period, focusing on sanitary campaigns and healthcare directed at formally employed workers. The study shows that public health actions were not uniform and were closely tied to protecting the industrial and urban workforce, while informal populations remained largely neglected. Through bibliographic research and documentary analysis, this work highlights how the institutionalization of social security and the creation of workplace medical inspections influenced collective health. Direct quotations from authors such as Paim (2008), Carvalho (2011), and Hochman (2013) reinforce the strategic nature of sanitary campaigns, which went beyond disease prevention to serve social disciplining purposes. The article highlights the tension between emerging social rights and selective health protection, offering reflections on the historical impact of these policies on contemporary public health.