This article discusses two important documents in Brazilian psychiatric history. One was written by Phillipe-Marius Rey (1875) and entitled "L'hospice Pedro II et les Alienés au Brésil." It described the operations of the Pedro II Asylum, located in Rio de Janeiro, which was the first psychiatric institution in Brazil. The second document was "Visite a L'asile de Pedro II a Rio de Janeiro," by François Jouin (1880). In these texts the historical context of its founding and initial operations of the asylum are analyzed. Its establishment is related to the political realities of the 19th century. Aspects concerning organization of the treatment of the insane in Brazil, and society's racial characteristics there are mentioned.
Pedro II Asylum; insane asylums; history of psychiatry in Brazil; voyage narratives