The plans of Ernesto Ottoni to Combat the “affliction of lepers:” lazarettos, treatments, and endeavors to tackle leprosy in nineteenth century São Paulo

This article presents the plans for a lazaretto in the city of São Paulo in the mid-nineteenth century. It consists of the transcription and analysis of an opinion prepared by the physician Ernesto Benedicto Ottoni, addressed to the president of the province of São Paulo. The article includes an analysis of the plans for the building, bearing in mind the prevailing miasma theory; the contemporary conceptions of leprosy treatment, especially beliefs regarding the transmissibility of the disease; and the physician’s idealization of the routines for the treatment, work, leisure, and recovery of patients.