Compassion, medicalization and exclusion: The Patronato de Leprosos in Argentina in the 1930s

Authors

  • José Augusto Leandro Universidade Estadual de Ponta Grossa/PR

Abstract

The article discusses some aspects of the Patronato de Leprosos, a philanthropic institution created by women in Argentina to aid lepers and their families. During the 1930s the discourses of this organization reinforced society’s compassion toward lepers. The institution also modeled its actions in accordance with the medical knowledge of that time. The welfare provided by the Patronato de Leprosos was instrumental in leading to the segregation of leper patients, who, by the end of the 1930s, were living in spaces separated from the so-called healthy society. 

Key words: leprosy, philanthropy, health history and policy, philanthropic institution, Argentina.

Author Biography

José Augusto Leandro, Universidade Estadual de Ponta Grossa/PR

Pós-doutorado pela Universidade do Texas, em Austin; Doutor em História Cultural pela Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina; Professor do Departamento de História da Universidade Estadual de Ponta Grossa/PR e do Mestrado em Ciências Sociais na mesma instituição.

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Published

2012-05-09

Issue

Vol. 16 No. 2 (2012): May/August

Section

Articles

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