[Aanalysis of nursing in Latin America]

The article presents a comprehensive analysis of health and nursing practices and their relationship to the economic structure and dominant means of production in Latin America. The analysis stems from a division of economic history into the following periods: 1900 to 1930, 1930 to 1960, and from the end of 1960 to present. The writer examines the characteristics of economic and social development in each of those periods and correlates them with health and nursing practices. She delves particularly into the predominant forms of nursing practice and the various approaches to training for auxiliary, technical, and professional staff. She seeks to show that both practice and knowledge in the field of health and nursing are related to the process of economic production. She suggests that recognition of this fact would contribute to a better understanding of the problems confronting the health and education sectors and would permit a search for more realistic solutions to the problems.