This article analyzes some publications of Ernestina Pérez Barahona (1865-1951), the second Chilean and Latin American female physician. It exposes her concern for the public health and, more precisely, for the problem of the Chilean race. She constantly refers to hygiene in her conferences, articles and books published between 1887 and 1920. Thus, the aim of this review is to recover her production and to inform the readers about her intervention as a medical professional.