Abstract

ROSSI, Lucía. Argentina, 1920: from social profilaxis to mental hygiene. Anu. investig. [online]. 2006, vol.13, pp.155-161. ISSN 1851-1686.

This paper shows the different meanings given to the concept of "hygiene" in order to enlight the ways they have been applied. Conceptual changes in the discursive analysis provides a glance over "hygiene"'s discursive design, the legitimate and institutional process inserted in historical, political and social contexts. At the beggining, Public Hygiene, (1880) appears as an attempt to control the huge european inmigration, in a background of poverty and social awareness in the Conservative Period. Circa 1920 people's political participation promotes a dynamic social process of massive inclusion into the urban middleclasses. A new assistance policy not only emphazises health and prevention' problems, but also gives "Hygiene" a new meaning: a massive approach to prophilaxis' popular education. Public hospitals open their doors and search differents ways of providing outdoors assistence. "Social assistants" and "Hygienic visitors" (1925) are formly trained at Public University. Lately, (1928) "Hygiene",gets a new meaning: "Mental Hygiene" referred to prevention in the mental illness' field and specifical institutions and journals.

Keywords : 20' in Argentina; Public; Social-Mental Hygiene Meanings; Journals.

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