The Fernandes Figueira Institute

In the early twentieth century, infant mortality, the abandonment of children by poor families, and the exploitation of child labor were seen as serious problems that were diverting the country from its developmental aspirations.A number of physicians, legislators, and legal experts put great effort into getting the "problems of childhood" included in the political agenda.A key figure amongst these actors was the pediatrician Antnio Fernandes Figueira, whose endeavors resulted in the creation of institutions and public policies for mothers and infants.An important player in the field of Brazilian pediatrics, Fernandes Figueira advocated for preventive health for children, science education for mothers, and the crucial importance of breastfeeding; essentially, integrated care for mothers and their offspring (Sanglard, 2014).During the public health reform between 1920 and 1923, one result of which was the creation of the Child Health Inspectorate, Fernandes Figueira was put in charge of setting up child health units in several districts of the then Brazilian capital, Rio de Janeiro, as well as the building a new hospital, Hospital Abrigo Arthur Bernardes, between 1924 and 1926.Opened in April 1926 with much pomp and circumstance and heralded by the press as a new benchmark in healthcare, combining as it did care for mothers and their children, the hospital did not prosper.In 1928, when Fernandes Figueira died, it entered into rapid decline and was shut down in 1935.Only at the end of the 1930s, during the Getlio Vargas dictatorship and the growing popularity of eugenic beliefs around childhood, was it reopened, and in 1940 it was incorporated into the recently formed National Department for Children, part of the Ministry of Education and Health.As a pillar of this department, the hospital's mission was expanded to include responsibility for research into problems associated with maternity and child health.In 1946, it was renamed the Fernandes Figueira Institute (Instituto Fernandes Figueira, IFF) (Ribeiro, 2020).The 1950s was a golden age for IFF.A vibrant pediatric hub, it became a hotbed for some of the country's most prominent pediatricians.For a long time, it also housed the Brazilian Pediatrics Society.Furthermore, it spawned some truly groundbreaking initiatives, such as the creation of Brazil's first ever blood bank and first ever human milk bank, as well as being the second institution in the country to offer pediatric residencies.In 1970, the federal government created the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fundao Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fiocruz), which became the umbrella organization for several biomedical institutes, including IFF.As part of the new foundation, it became a designated unit for women's and children's health, which resulted in some profound institutional

Developmental psychology · Psychology · Psychology and Mental Health