Museu do Lactário

The Museu do Lactário, in Lisbon, preserves the memory of the first milk dispensary created in Portugal. Established in 2019 by the Fundação Aboim Sande Lemos, it tells the story of a social work begun in 1901 with the Associação Protectora da Primeira Infância. The Lactário began operating in 1903, supporting disadvantaged children from Alfama and their families. The help was daily and free: controlled-quality cow’s milk, paediatric care, hygienic, social and neonatal support. The museum brings together objects, documents, photographs, painting, sculpture, tilework and scientific and technical pieces linked to that activity. Among the most expressive items are four incubators for premature babies, acquired in 1903, Alexandre Lion models. By reconstructing services such as Lacticology, the Lactário, the Medical Service and the Social Service, the museum reveals a discreet history of care, science and child protection.