The purpose of this article is to contribute to the understanding of the relationship between hygienism and education in the early decades of the 20th century in Brazil. For this, an analysis was made of the discourse of the hygienist physician show-cased in the theses of the 1st National Conference on Education, organized by the Brazilian Association of Education in Curitiba, Paraná, in 1927, mostly using the books titled "Os anormais" (The freaks) (2002) and "A ordem do discurso" (The order of discourse) (2009), both authored by French philosopher Michel Foucault. The examination of theses, as well as the review of the literature in the history of education, led to the realization that, in the 1920s, physicians, intellectuals, and politicians intended to form national awareness on hygiene focused on the progress of the country, establishing concern with the population's physical, mental, and social health.
1st National Conference on Education; hygienist discourse; education
