Hygienism and positivism in Brazil: united and separated by sanitary campaigns (1900 - 1930)

Abstract

Which the relation of the positivism with the hygienist movement? That is central inquiry of our historical research. We surveyed history studies about the theme in Brazil, relating the internal tensions of these movements, stressing their political and philosophical orientations. We conclude that we cannot affirm that the ‘action hygienist’ belonged to positivist character. By the simple reason, in Brazil, positivists and hygienists, sometimes were in opposite field. The conclusion is that one cannot state that the hygienist movement was determined by the positivism or had a positivist character, simply because positivist and hygienist in Brazil were sometimes in opposite fields. Thus, we do not find indications of a methodological determination of the positivism in the hygienist movement, but only in the moral aspect of belief in the science.