The enfermeiro-mor (head-nurse) in Santas Casas in the province of Minas Gerais: between care and administration

Abstract

This article focuses on the perception of nursing as a low-prestige occupation in the 19th century. The history of nursing produced by professionals in the area supported this unders-tanding. However, the profile of the enfermeiro-mor (head nurse), a position in the Santas Casas, demonstrates that the nursing profession was pre-sent throughout a broader social spectrum. The authors support the hypothesis that the typical negative assessment is based only on the more visible patient care activities. The presence of the enfer-meiro-mor exemplifies the limits of a generaliza-tion of the social undervaluation of nursing. The conclusion is that the generalized assumption that nursing was only about basic health care is not acceptable.