Context:

The Hospital de Alienados do Conde de Ferreira (HACF) was avant-garde in the assistance of the alienated in the late nineteenth century, based on the new ideas formed in Europe about psychiatry and assistance in this field. Addressing the theme of professional nursing implies treating a history that began that century; addressing the nurses includes portraying a presence that has always existed in health institutions, particularly in psychiatric ones.

Aims:

Characterize the daily life in the HACF (1883-1885) and analyze nurse's responsibilities in that institution.

Methodology:

Qualitative framework, using a historical research methodology, with documentary research/analysis, based on theoretical assumptions of Michel Foucault.

Results:

The HACF was inaugurated on March 24th, 1883, in Oporto, and its employees belonged to three categories: economic/clinical direction and religious worship. The nursing staff was composed of servants, nurse assistants, nurses and an inspector, belonging to the clinical direction. Nurses were the chiefs of the wards, being responsible for the nurse assistants and servants. Nurses, nurse assistants and servants should ensure the balance of the alienated and their well-being, manage the daily lives of the wards, apply treatments and prevent complications.

Conclusions:

Nurses presented a role of surveillance and control that allowed them to perform a biopower in the HACF's assistance space. They had specific operational responsibilities and an hierarchical structure, being those to whom the alienated resorted in first instance, within the sphere of a well-defined daily life.

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