Abstract

PERDIGUERO GIL, Enrique. Huerta, Arroz y Mosquitos: La Lucha Contra el Paludismo en la Provincia de Alicante. Cuad. hist. Esp. [online]. 2005, vol.79, pp.203-235. ISSN 0325-1195.

The aim of this article is to illustrate the main characteristics of the fight against malaria in Spain during the twentieth century, until its eradication in mid sixties. For this purpose we use as the case of study the province of Alicante, in the Southeast of the Iberian Peninsula. We can consider the medical intervention against malaria in Spain as a by-product of the capitalistic modernization process of agriculture, linked to irrigation projects. The province of Alicante, especially its southern lands, is a very good example of intensive use of water and creation of a malaria environment. As in the rest of the country the main strategy to fight against malaria was centred in the diagnosis and treatment of human reservoirs in order to avoid the dissemination of the disease. To achieve this aim, clinics and laboratories were established in the rural areas according to epidemiological criteria. Anti-mosquito measures were also implemented, using larvicides and, later, insecticides. The surveillance of liquid collections close to housing was also part of the tasks pursued by doctors involved in the campaign against malaria.

Keywords : Malaria; Twentieth century; Spain; Alicante; Agriculture; Irrigation.