This project represents a continuation of the previous project The Spanish Health in an International context: Sanitary conferences, League of Nations and International Organizations, 1851-1975 (HUM2006–06098), funded by MICINN during the period 2006-2011. Its historiographical orientation is shaped in the frame of the studies about circulation of knowledge from the perspective of the relation centre-periphery, as well as those that analyse the transfer of knowledge and scientific practices from the places of production until its social and political use. The project is focused on specific aspects of the experimental knowledge on health considering the interaction, on the one hand, between the European international sphere and the Spanish society, and, on the other hand, the transfer from the places of production (laboratories, institutes of investigation, local and national institutions, commissions of experts, hospitals), until its social application and political use.

Six specific topics are included:

• 1) production and diffusion of vaccines (particularly smallpox vaccine)
• 2) children’s health (patterns of normality, health and pathology)
• 3) experimental studies on hunger and nutrition
• 4) food security
• 5) the role of international organizations in fight against trachoma
• 6) knowledge and internationalisation of health care practices in community nursery.

These six research topics follow a common methodological pattern, well integrated one to each other. All them include the following aspects as a transversal perspective:

• 1) the professional perspective: the function of the expert as a new important tool and social agent, as well as the creation of professional communities, groups of experts and circulation of people, including phenomena such as exile;
• 2) the institutional perspective: the relation between institutions, national and international organisms, the creation of laboratories, institutes, dispensaries, campaigns, inspection, school doctors, visiting nurses, etc.);
• 3) the dynamics of circulation of knowledge through people, conferences, publications and networks of experts, the transfer and interactions between national and international institutions;
• 4) the rural-urban divide;
• 5) political use of knowledge about health.

In addition to the purely scientific results detailed in the memory, the group of investigation will create a space web to allow the access to the query of documents, materials and results of research, it will promote an international conference on transfer of scientific knowledge in health sciences and will realize at least an experience of vulgarisation (exhibition) devoted to the big public and scholars. The project proposes an international advisory board as a means to assessment and interaction.

The work will be developed by the Sanhisoc Research group (Health, History and Science), led by Josep Lluís Barona, and composed of Josep Bernabeu Mestre (University of Alacant), María José Báguena Cervellera ( IHMC), María Eugenia Galiana (University of Alacant), Ximo Guillem Llobat (IHMC) and Joan Lloret Pastor (Department of History of Science and Documentation, University of Valencia).

Barona Vilar, Josep Lluís

Ministry of Science and Innovation