[Living in the midst of miasmas: The social issue of Chile between 1880 and 1920].

Introduction: The social issue in Chile stems from an accumulation of social problems resulting from the migratory movements of the countryside-city and mining areas. The cities did not have the hygienic conditions necessary to receive migrants, which caused housing and health problems within the population.
Objective: To analyze the problems of housing, hygiene, and health in Chile between 1880-1920.
Method: We conduct a qualitative, analytical, and interpretive study using primary sources for the categories of analysis around housing, hygiene, and health of the following cities in Chile: Santiago, Valparaíso, Concepción and Chillán.
Results: The economic modernization led to the development of public works in the main cities of Chile, which also experienced a demographic phenomenon known as field-city migration, with urban growth never before seen. In the cities, there were problems of housing, hygiene, and health for the popular urban sectors.
Conclusion: The State passed laws to regulate the conditions of the conventillos and public spaces to mitigate diseases and vices of the population.