A sífilis e a saúde pública em Alagoas: uma análise histórico-social entre meados dos séculos XIX e XX

Abstract

This is a qualitative, documentary, historical-social study whose object is the historicity of syphilis and its implications for the improvement of public health in the State of Alagoas during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The objectives were: to describe the historical milestones of syphilis in the international, national, and state contexts; to analyze the public health measures implemented in the State of Alagoas to address the disease; and to discuss the role of syphilis in the development of public health in Alagoas during the transition from the nineteenth to the twentieth century. The geographical setting comprises the State of Alagoas, with a temporal focus on the transition between the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The documentary corpus consisted of both primary and secondary sources. Primary sources included records directly related to the object of study, such as official documents, reports, and contemporary publications. Secondary sources comprised materials that mediate between the researcher and the original account, including historiographical analyses, academic interpretations, and documentary compilations. The search for sources followed two investigative approaches, online and in-person, and involved the following stages: source identification; application of inclusion and exclusion criteria; storage and organization of sources; data analysis; and production of the study. The analysis was conducted in accordance with the historical method, triangulating discussions among primary sources, secondary sources, and the adopted theoretical framework, namely the thought of Jacques Le Goff. The analysis of the sources revealed that syphilis was more than a simple epidemiological indicator; it emerged as a social phenomenon capable of mobilizing public policies, health campaigns, and moral debates. Government efforts, materialized through the establishment of health facilities, the expansion of treatment enrollment, and the implementation of prophylactic measures, demonstrate the structuring role of syphilis in the consolidation of institutional practices of collective care. Thus, the presence of the disease fostered the organization of health services in the state, guided educational practices, and reinforced the intersection between science, politics, and society.