This article revisits Doctor Manuel González Rivera's work as a promoter of hygiene education in Mexico during the 1940s. From his classroom at the School of Public Health and head of the Hygiene Education Department of the Ministry of Health and Assistance, González Rivera produced an interesting bibliography on the meaning and importance of hygiene education. Based on three of his most important books, Educación Higiénica (Hygiene Education) (1943), Doña Eugenesia y otros personajes. Materiales de educación higiénica popular (Eugenics and other characters. Popular hygiene education materials) (1943) and Enfermedades transmisibles. Cartilla para maestros rurales (Communicable diseases. A booklet for rural teachers) (1944), this article highlights his pedagogical and social work in the design of strategies and tools for health personnel and rural teachers to educate the population in matters of prevention and hygiene habits promotion.