Sanine, Patricia Rodrigues [UNESP]Castanheira, Elen Rose Lodeiro [UNESP]2018-12-112018-12-112018-01-01Historia, Ciencias, Saude - Manguinhos, v. 25, n. 1, p. 199-215, 2018.0104-5970http://hdl.handle.net/11449/176149This article seeks to correlate the different social meanings attributed to children with health actions directed toward this group starting in nineteenth-century Brazil. The study reviews the literature based on the social concept of “being a child” and its correlation with policies and practices in public health and child care, focusing on actions undertaken within the framework of primary health care. Three different conceptions of the meaning of “child” were identified. The interrelations between transformations in the social construction of the notion of child were investigated, along with the different political and technological proposals involving children in Brazil, indicating the contemporary challenge of developing care technologies that will strengthen children with regard to rights.199-215engChild careChild healthHistory of public healthHistory of the childArtigo10.1590/s0104-59702018000100012S0104-59702018000100199Acesso aberto2-s2.0-85045075056S0104-59702018000100199.pdf