Ciência & Saúde Coletiva versión impresa ISSN 1413-8123 MARTINS,
Patrícia Vieira y CAPONI, Sandra. Hansen's disease, exclusion
and prejudice: life histories of women at Santa Catarina State.
Ciênc. saúde coletiva [online]. 2010, vol.15, suppl.1, pp.
1047-1054. ISSN 1413-8123.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S1413-81232010000700011. This article
describes historical notes about leprosy, from the discovery of
the bacillus to the treatment done today. In this text we try to
analyze the perception of some women, former leprosy patients,
residents of Santa Teresa Hospital, located in the city of São
Pedro de Alcântara, Santa Catarina State, on the stigma,
prejudice and exclusion they suffered and still suffer today. We
used the oral history of three women for research purposes and
we found as a result of this "excluding" treatment over the
years, that it built some kind of rejection about the disease.
The search and affirmation of the identity of the stigmatized
subject has become a constant. The model of social accepta