Cuidado anunciado: enfermeiros e enfermeiras nas páginas da imprensa do Rio de Janeiro oitocentista (1821-1879)

Abstract

This study explores experiences and identities of nurses in 19th century Rio de Janeiro, between 1821 and 1879. It draws on an extensive survey of advertisements published in two of the period’s most prominent newspapers, Jornal do Commercio and Diário do Rio de Janeiro. Those ads sheds light on the complex and often precarious nature of nursing, many of those engaged in caregiving lacked formal training and operated in the blurred boundaries between healthcare and domestic service. Through the analysis of 1,979 advertisements, I examine how socioeconomic conditions shaped the daily lives of these workers, with particular attention to issues of gender, race, and social class. The research seeks to fill a gap in the historiography of the health professions, offering a critical view of the dynamics offers a critical perspective on the dynamics of care in the 19th century and the ways in which these workers navigated, or were situated within, the social and urban fabric of the imperial capital. Keywords: Nurse; nursing; Rio de Janeiro; press; 19th century.