Júlio Afrânio Peixoto facts for kids

Júlio Afrânio Peixoto (born December 17, 1876 – died January 12, 1947) was a very important Brazilian person. He was a doctor, a writer, and even a politician. He also worked as a historian and was the president of a big university.

Afrânio Peixoto held many important jobs in Brazil. He was a representative for Bahia in the Brazilian Congress from 1924 to 1930. He was also the first president of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. He was a member of the Brazilian Cultural Center in the United States. He even became the president of the Brazilian Academy of Letters, which is a very respected group of writers. He received special honors from universities in Portugal, like Coimbra University and the University of Lisbon.

Life Story of Afrânio Peixoto

Early Life and Education

Afrânio Peixoto was born in a place called Lençóis in the state of Bahia, Brazil. He grew up in the countryside of Bahia. He learned most of his early lessons at home. Even so, he became a doctor at a young age. He graduated from Brazil's oldest medical school in Salvador in 1897. He was only 21 years old when he finished his medical studies.

Moving to Rio and Family Life

In 1902, Afrânio Peixoto moved to Rio de Janeiro. At that time, Rio was the capital city of Brazil. He started working as a public health inspector. He also became the director of a mental hospital there. In 1907, he began teaching at the Medical School.

In 1912, he married Francisca de Faria. They had one son, who they called "Juquinha." Sadly, Juquinha had health problems and passed away in 1942. Afrânio Peixoto himself died in Rio de Janeiro on January 12, 1947. He was 70 years old.

Afrânio Peixoto's Work in Medicine

Helping People with Mental Health

Afrânio Peixoto was a student of Juliano Moreira. Moreira was a pioneer in treating mental illness in a scientific way in Brazil. He invited Afrânio Peixoto to work with him in Rio de Janeiro. Afrânio Peixoto was very active in many areas of medicine. He worked to improve mental health care and public health.

Improving Worker Safety

He also focused on criminology, which is the study of crime. He was very important in starting to protect workers' health. In 1907, he became a professor of forensic medicine in both the medical and law schools in Rio de Janeiro. Forensic medicine uses medical knowledge to help with legal questions.

Afrânio Peixoto studied the dangers workers faced on the job. He looked into accidents and diseases that happened because of work. His studies led to many publications. Because of his efforts, new laws were finally made to keep Brazilian workers safe.

Afrânio Peixoto's Literary Works

Afrânio Peixoto is still remembered for his many writings. He wrote a lot of different kinds of books. Most of his books are not printed anymore in Brazil. They also haven't been translated into English.

Notable Books and Writings

Some of his most important works include:

• Rosa mística, a drama (1900)
• Lufada sinistra, a novel (1900)
• A esfinge, a novel (1911)
• Maria Bonita, a novel (1914)
• Minha terra e minha gente, a history book (1915)
• Poeira da estrada, a book of literary criticism (1918)
• Trovas brasileiras (1919)
• José Bonifácio, o velho e o moço, a biography (1920)
• Fruta do mato, a novel (1920)
• Castro Alves, o poeta e o poema (1922)
• Bugrinha, a novel (1922)
• Dicionário dos Lusíadas, a dictionary about a famous poem (1924)
• Camões e o Brasil, essays (1926)
• Arte poética, an essay about poetry (1925)
• As razões do coração, a novel (1925)
• Uma mulher como as outras, a novel (1928)
• História da literatura brasileira, a history of Brazilian literature (1931)
• Panorama da literatura brasileira (1940)
• Pepitas, essays (1942)

He also published collections of his own works. He edited books by other authors too. He wrote many books about medicine, history, public speaking, and literature. In 2017, the copyright on his works in Brazil ended. This means his books can now be shared freely online.

Political Ideas

Afrânio Peixoto shared his political views during his lifetime. He often supported the government that was in power at the time. Brazil had five different constitutions during his life. The country changed from a democracy to a dictatorship under Getúlio Vargas. Afrânio Peixoto was considered a leftist, but not an extreme one. He was interested in human genetics and ideas about improving human health.

See also

In Spanish: Afrânio Peixoto para niños

• Article on Afrânio Peixoto in the Portuguese language Wikipedia