article
The process of institutionalization of hygiene: the State, healt and hygiene
Proceso de institucionalización de la higiene: estado, salubridad e higienismo en Colombia en la primera mitad del siglo XX
Autor
Gutiérrez, María Teresa
Institución
Resumen
This paper seeks to set out the process by which national elites made major efforts to the hygiene apparatus in Colombia a responsibility of the national state. The motivations behind this were a mix of racial, medical and social reasons. During this period, Colombian doctors, thanks to a racial ideology, built a pro-hygiene narrative in which they argued for the importance of institutionalizing the hygiene apparatus. The paper’s analysis is based upon legislation, reports to the National Congress and medical conferences. The sources have been studied from the perspective of discourse analysis. Key words: hygienism, institutionalization, racial theories. I