Fernandes Figueira and children's health in Rio de Janeiro, 1880-1930

This article discusses the relationship between the physician Antônio Fernandes Figueira and children's health during the time that studies in this area were being institutionalized in Brazil. Children's health resulted from the emergence of the concept of health in contrast with disease; here we focus on how children's health became established, in partnership with or opposition to pediatrics. We emphasize how the circulation of ideas on children's health reached Brazil, and how this physician dialogued with and reinterpreted European discussions. A central theme is children's nutrition. We focused on Livro das mães: consultas práticas de higiene infantil [The mothers' book: practical queries on children's health], published by Fernandes Figueira in 1910.