Within the habitus of the former colony hospital: social representations of leprosy

Abstract

Objective: To understand the social representations of leprosy for the former patient of the Getúlio Vargas Colony Hospital, Bayeux/PB/Brazil. Method: Study of qualitative and representational approach. Results: The habitus was defined through the long and the experienced times in the building of situational behaviors and diversities. The asylum context is reveled through the time. In the realm of religiousness, their illness is understood as a heritage of a divine punishment. The contact with the society as a charity aspect did not reduce the feeling of being excluded by the prejudice and stigma that pervade the patient bearer of leprosy. Conclusion: We could infer that, when retelling their lives, the subjects lived a quasi-experimental condition, by recalling striking histories at that context.