Regeneracionismo y Salud Pública: el bienio de Ángel Pulido al frente de la Dirección General de Sanidad (1901-1902)

Abstract

The organization of public health services in Spain did not ignore the regenerationist movement, which became especially important after the loss of the colonies in 1898. The need to bring the country in line with the rest of Europe accentuated the conviction that health care in Spain was not up to the standards to be expected in a modern country. Against this background, Angel Pulido occupied his post in the General Directorate of Health from 1901 to 1902. His labors were characterized by three major features: the diagnosis of the precarious status of health in the country, which required urgent "regenerationist" measures comparable to those applied to other aspects of life in Spain; the importance of health education at all levels of society; and the need to combat the evils of the peculiar political game of his time, a key obstacle to the effective organization of public health services.