Enemy in the Blood: Malaria, Environment, and Development in Argentina

303 Pages·2012·3.22 MB·English

by  Eric D. Carter

Enemy in the Blood

EnEmy in thE Blood
malaria, Environment, and
development in Argentina
Eric d. Carter
thE UnivErsity of AlABAmA PrEss
Tuscaloosa
Copyright © 2012
the University of Alabama Press
tuscaloosa, Alabama 35487- 0380
All rights reserved
manufactured in the United states of America
typeface: Bembo
∞
the paper on which this book is printed meets the minimum requirements of
American national standard for information sciences—Permanence of Paper for
Printed library materials, Ansi Z39.48- 1984.
library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication data
Carter, Eric d.
Enemy in the blood : malaria, environment, and development in Argentina / Eric d.
Carter.
p. cm.
includes bibliographical references and index.
isBn 978-0-8173-1760-7 (cloth : alk. paper) — isBn 978-0-8173-8595-8
(electronic : alk. paper) 1. malaria—Argentina—history. 2. malaria—Argentina—
Prevention. 3. Public health—Argentina—history. i. title.
rC162.A7C37 2012
616.9′36200982—dc23
2011022669
Cover art: “drainage canal for malarious marshes” [Canal de desagüe para pantanos
palúdicos]. from “la campaña contra el paludismo,” Caras y Caretas, december 23,
1911.
to my parents, dale and virginia Carter

Contents
list of illustrations ix
Acknowledgments xi
introduction: A sickness in the land 1
1. A Cure for Backwardness? the rationale for malaria Control 17
2. launching the Campaign 49
3. foreign, national, and local influences on malaria Control 75
4. “think like a mosquito”: turning the tide against malaria 107
5. “God Bless General Perón”: the Politics and
technologies of malaria Eradication 141
Conclusion: malaria, Geography, and lessons for today 167
Epilogue 174
notes 181
Glossary 241
note on sources 245
Bibliography 249
index 273

Illustrations
fiGUrEs
i.1. map of northwest Argentina, ca. 1930 10
i.2. Population change, 1870–1910 14
1.1. Eliseo Cantón 30
2.1. Percentage of malaria cases with respect to all admissions, hospital mixto,
san miguel de tucumán, 1905–1943 72
3.1. map of northwest Argentina highlighting sanitation works,
rockefeller foundation activity, and sugar mills 87
3.2. A swamp near Concepción, tucumán, before and after drainage work
carried out by the rockefeller foundation in 1927 102
4.1. Carlos Alberto Alvarado and other directors of the malaria service,
June 1947 109
4.2. “rocky seepage area in bed of río ledesma” 118
4.3. fred l. soper examining mats of spirogyra algae,
november 1927 119
4.4. detail from Sanitary Almanac for April 1939 135
5.1. Cartoon of sergeant ddt, circa 1948 155
5.2. Caravan of ministry of Public health trucks on highway, 1947 156
5.3. Patients consulted in malaria service offices, 1937 to 1949 161
tABlEs
2.1. Patients diagnosed with malaria at malaria service
clinics, 1912–1915 62