Abstract

We analyze the process of socio-sanitary institutionalization aimed at the maternal and child population in the city of Concepción, Chile, during the first decades of the 20th century, with special attention to the period prior to the 1939 earthquake. From an interdisciplinary approach, living conditions, access to health services and transformations in public policies oriented to the mother, son and daughter are examined. The research raises the initial question of how the consolidation of a state apparatus in the area of public health influenced the improvement of the living conditions of this vulnerable group, in a context of transition from a liberal model to a welfare state with greater social commitment. It is argued that this institutional evolution not only reflected a change in the role of the State, but also responded to new ways of understanding social welfare at the local level. © 2025 Universidad de Playa Ancha -Departamento De Historia. All rights reserved.