This study deepens the discussion about the concept of health constructed by Christophe Dejours and the one perceived by families who are descended from Italian immigrants who are agricultural workers at the Fourth Colony of Italian Immigration, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. In this paper, the concept of health is discussed viewing the academic and popular knowledge. As the study develops, it is possible to perceive the occurrence of an approximation of the author's thoughts with the families descending from Italian immigrants regarding health and work. Among the elements that confirm this closeness is the fact that only the human being himself is able to establish the limits between normal and pathological.