Ana Néri
Encyclopedia
Ana Justina Ferreira Néri (December 13, 1814 – May 20, 1880) was a Brazil
ian nurse, considered the first in her country. She is best known for her volunteer work with the Triple Alliance
during the Paraguayan War
.
n village of Cachoeira de Paraguaçu
to José Ferreira de Jesus and his wife, Luísa Maria das Virgens. At age 23, Ana got married to Navy
Commander
Isidoro Antônio Néri. With her husband always on duty, Ana accustomed to have their house under her responsibility. She became a widow at age 29, having to take care of their children Justiniano, Isidoro, and Pedro Antônio all by herself. Justiniano, and Isidoro became doctors, while Pedro Antônio joined the Army
, becoming a cadet
.
Later that year, Ana left Bahia for the first time in her life, assisting the Army's health corps, which was small and had little material. She started working alongside Vincentian
nuns in a hospital in Corrientes
, where she would take care of more than 6,000 hospitalized soldiers. Not a long time later, she assisted the injured in Salto
, Humaitá
, Curupaiti, and Asunción
.
A wealthy woman, Ana founded a nursing house in the Paraguayan capital, then occupied and besieged by the Brazilian Army. For that purpose, she used personal financial resources that she inherited from her family. She worked selflessly there until the end of the war. Her son Justiniano and a nephew which had enlisted as a volunteer, both died in battle.
At the end of the war, in 1870, Ana returned to Brazil and received several honors, among them the distinctions of silver and humanitarian campaign medals. Emperor Pedro I granted Ana, via decree, a life-long pension
, which she used to provide education for the four orphans that she had brought from Paraguay with her.
. In 1926, Carlos Chagas
named the first official Brazilian school of nursing after her. Her full-body portrait, painted by Victor Meirelles
, currently occupies a place of honor at the Salvador
City Hall. According to the federal law number 12.105, sanctioned by acting president José Alencar
on December 2, 2009, Ana Néri is now a character of the Book of the Fatherland Heroes, and will have her name added in the Pantheon of the Fatherland and Freedom, a monument in Brasília
consisting of a steel book designed by Oscar Niemeyer
.
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
ian nurse, considered the first in her country. She is best known for her volunteer work with the Triple Alliance
Treaty of the Triple Alliance
The Treaty of the Triple Alliance was a treaty which allied Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay in the Paraguayan War. Signed at the beginning of the war, its articles prescribed the allies' actions both during and after the war.- Legal Restrictions :...
during the Paraguayan War
War of the Triple Alliance
The Paraguayan War , also known as War of the Triple Alliance , was a military conflict in South America fought from 1864 to 1870 between Paraguay and the Triple Alliance of Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay...
.
Biography
Ana Néri was born in the BahiaBahia
Bahia is one of the 26 states of Brazil, and is located in the northeastern part of the country on the Atlantic coast. It is the fourth most populous Brazilian state after São Paulo, Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro, and the fifth-largest in size...
n village of Cachoeira de Paraguaçu
Cachoeira
Cachoeira , is an inland town of Bahia, Brazil, on the Paraguaçu River. The town exports sugar, cotton and tobacco and is a thriving commercial and industrial centre....
to José Ferreira de Jesus and his wife, Luísa Maria das Virgens. At age 23, Ana got married to Navy
Brazilian Navy
The Brazilian Navy is a branch of the Brazilian Armed Forces responsible for conducting naval operations. It is the largest navy in Latin America...
Commander
Commander
Commander is a naval rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. Commander is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the armed forces, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Commander as a naval...
Isidoro Antônio Néri. With her husband always on duty, Ana accustomed to have their house under her responsibility. She became a widow at age 29, having to take care of their children Justiniano, Isidoro, and Pedro Antônio all by herself. Justiniano, and Isidoro became doctors, while Pedro Antônio joined the Army
Brazilian Army
The Brazilian Army is the land arm of the Brazilian Military. The Brazilian Army has fought in several international conflicts, mostly in South America and during the 19th century, such as the Brazilian War of Independence , Argentina-Brazil War , War of the Farrapos , Platine War , Uruguayan War ...
, becoming a cadet
Cadet
A cadet is a trainee to become an officer in the military, often a person who is a junior trainee. The term comes from the term "cadet" for younger sons of a noble family.- Military context :...
.
Work as a nurse
In 1865, Brazil joined the Triple Alliance in the Paraguayan War, and Ana's sons were all called upon duty, in addition to both her brothers, Manuel Jerônimo, and Joaquim Maurício. Unhappy with the fact that she would stay away from all the men in her family, she wrote a letter to Manuel Pinho de Sousa Dantas, governor of Bahia, offering to take care of injured soldiers of the Triple Alliance for the duration of the conflict.Later that year, Ana left Bahia for the first time in her life, assisting the Army's health corps, which was small and had little material. She started working alongside Vincentian
Vincentian Family
Vincentian Family refers to organizations that are inspired by the life and work of St. Vincent de Paul, a 17th century priest who "transformed the face of France."...
nuns in a hospital in Corrientes
Corrientes
Corrientes is the capital city of the province of Corrientes, Argentina, located on the eastern shore of the Paraná River, about from Buenos Aires and from Posadas, on National Route 12...
, where she would take care of more than 6,000 hospitalized soldiers. Not a long time later, she assisted the injured in Salto
Salto, Buenos Aires
Salto is a city in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. It is the head town of the Salto Partido. It is about 200 km from Buenos Aires and 55 km from Pergamino. Salto is an agricultural community, crossed by a river, that it has some of the best fields of the province. Its main crops are soybean,...
, Humaitá
Humaitá
Humaitá is a town on the Paraguay River in southern Paraguay. During the War of the Triple Alliance, it served as the main Paraguayan stronghold from 1866 until its fall in August 1868. During that time, it housed as many as 24,000 troops...
, Curupaiti, and Asunción
Asunción
Asunción is the capital and largest city of Paraguay.The "Ciudad de Asunción" is an autonomous capital district not part of any department. The metropolitan area, called Gran Asunción, includes the cities of San Lorenzo, Fernando de la Mora, Lambaré, Luque, Mariano Roque Alonso, Ñemby, San...
.
A wealthy woman, Ana founded a nursing house in the Paraguayan capital, then occupied and besieged by the Brazilian Army. For that purpose, she used personal financial resources that she inherited from her family. She worked selflessly there until the end of the war. Her son Justiniano and a nephew which had enlisted as a volunteer, both died in battle.
At the end of the war, in 1870, Ana returned to Brazil and received several honors, among them the distinctions of silver and humanitarian campaign medals. Emperor Pedro I granted Ana, via decree, a life-long pension
Pension
In general, a pension is an arrangement to provide people with an income when they are no longer earning a regular income from employment. Pensions should not be confused with severance pay; the former is paid in regular installments, while the latter is paid in one lump sum.The terms retirement...
, which she used to provide education for the four orphans that she had brought from Paraguay with her.
Death and homages
Ana died on May 20, 1880 in Rio de JaneiroRio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
. In 1926, Carlos Chagas
Carlos Chagas
Carlos Justiniano Ribeiro Chagas, or Carlos Chagas , was a Brazilian sanitary physician, scientist and bacteriologist who worked as a clinician and researcher. He discovered Chagas disease, also called American trypanosomiasis in 1909, while working at the Oswaldo Cruz Institute in Rio de Janeiro...
named the first official Brazilian school of nursing after her. Her full-body portrait, painted by Victor Meirelles
Victor Meirelles
Victor Meirelles de Lima was a 19th century painter. He studied art in Paris but painted most of his works in and about his native Brazil. His religious and military paintings helped him become one of the most popular and celebrated Brazilian painters...
, currently occupies a place of honor at the Salvador
Salvador, Bahia
Salvador is the largest city on the northeast coast of Brazil and the capital of the Northeastern Brazilian state of Bahia. Salvador is also known as Brazil's capital of happiness due to its easygoing population and countless popular outdoor parties, including its street carnival. The first...
City Hall. According to the federal law number 12.105, sanctioned by acting president José Alencar
José Alencar
José Alencar Gomes da Silva , also known as José Alencar, the Strong, was a Brazilian businessman and politician, and the Vice President of Brazil from 2003 to 2010. In business since a young age, Alencar was a self-made multimillionaire, as the chief executive of Coteminas, after working as...
on December 2, 2009, Ana Néri is now a character of the Book of the Fatherland Heroes, and will have her name added in the Pantheon of the Fatherland and Freedom, a monument in Brasília
Brasília
Brasília is the capital city of Brazil. The name is commonly spelled Brasilia in English. The city and its District are located in the Central-West region of the country, along a plateau known as Planalto Central. It has a population of about 2,557,000 as of the 2008 IBGE estimate, making it the...
consisting of a steel book designed by Oscar Niemeyer
Oscar Niemeyer
Oscar Ribeiro de Almeida Niemeyer Soares Filho is a Brazilian architect specializing in international modern architecture...
.