Fiocruz

Image description: This is an old photograph of a building under construction. On the left, we see a large palm tree. In the center, the main building is being erected with scaffolding structures. On the right, there is another palm tree. The sky is clear, and the building has two turrets with decorative domes.

In 1900, the Instituto Soroterápico was founded, set up on the former Manguinhos estate near the port of Inhaúma, with the goal of producing medicines such as serums and vaccines. Technical direction of the Institute was entrusted to the physician and scientist Oswaldo Cruz, the leading health authority of the time, whose studies in microbiology shaped health policies in Brazil starting in 1903, when he was appointed Director General of Public Health by President Rodrigues Alves. In 1908, the Institute was renamed the Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, in honor of its first director.

The institution's origin dates back to a moment when Rio (which, as the capital of Brazil, served as an example for the rest of the country) was undergoing an accelerated modernization process, adapting to the demands of the industrial era and the consolidation of capitalism in the country. This included works to widen streets, build avenues, and demolish old buildings, as well as public health campaigns that, with a strong racist bias, targeted the tenement houses that had survived from imperial times.

In the new republican era, reason and science joined "order and progress" to overcome a past of epidemics that terrorized the elites and their project of attracting European immigrants with the goal of whitening the Brazilian population. At the same time, advances in medicine and biology allowed for greater control of diseases and the fight against vectors, such as mosquitoes, rats, and other pests common to the tropical climate.

Image description: This is a historic black-and-white photograph. In the center of the image, there is a group of people standing in front of a large, ornate building. The spatial arrangement is asymmetrical, with some individuals more to the left and others more to the right. The background features a majestic building with classical architecture, possibly a hospital or medical institution, given that some individuals are wearing clothing resembling medical uniforms. On the right, there is a wooden platform with a man in a suit looking to the side. On the left, the ground appears to be packed dirt, with traces of tracks.

Over the decades, the Institute (which, in 1970, finally gained the title of Fundação Oswaldo Cruz) played a fundamental role in eradicating diseases in the country through vaccination campaigns — such as the one against smallpox in 1966. To this day, Fiocruz supplies a significant share of the vaccines used in the campaigns of the Ministry of Health's National Immunization Program (PNI). Recently, the Foundation's work was decisive in containing even more harmful effects caused by the Covid-19 epidemic.

The presence of Fiocruz in the surroundings of what is now Maré impacted the territory in several ways: from the visual of the Pavilhão Mourisco, built in 1918 — a symbol of the institution —, to the cavalry facilities on Praia de Inhaúma (in the surroundings of what is now Vila do João), including the use of Ilha dos Pinheiros (where Conjunto Pinheiro and Vila do Pinheiro are currently located) for breeding animals for testing, and the various health and research initiatives carried out with residents. For all these reasons, Fiocruz is directly linked to the history and memories of Maré.

Image description: This is a historic photograph of a large building with neo-Gothic architecture. On the left side, we see a tower with a sloped roof and rounded windows. In the background, there is a palace with several towers and domes, with a central tower topped by a spherical dome standing out. The palace has many rounded windows and ornamental details. The landscape in the background shows trees and a view of water, possibly a lake or river.