The study concerns Pedro II´s Asylum as the locus of the development of knowledge and medical and nursing practices in Imperial Brazil. The aim of this historical-social research is to identify the founding speeches of Pedro II´s Asylum and analyze their importance for pre-professional nursing in Brazil. The data were derived from primary and secondary sources and analyzed according to Michel Foucault's concepts. Four speeches were present in the creation of Pedro II´s Asylum: the philanthropy speech, represented by Santa Casa da Misericórdia; the charity speech, represented by the Sisters of Charity; the psychiatrist speech, represented by physician dedicated to the study of madness; and the Imperial State speech, represented by Emperor D. Pedro II, all of European origin. Although having different interests, the union of those speeches was responsible for the creation of the first asylum and the beginning of medical and nursing assistance for Brazilian mentally ill patients.
History of nursing; Psychiatric nursing; Psychiatry