Menéndez Navarro A
Dep. de Anatomía Patológica e Historia de la Ciencia, Universidad de Granada.
Quad Int Stor Med Sanita. 1994;3(2):51-69.
From the 17th century until the 19th century, the world's most important mercury mine was the one at Almadén in the Spanish province of Ciudad Real. This state-owned mine rapidly achieved extraordinary importance, since mercury played a key role in the processing of silver from the Americas. However, efforts to reach target levels of production were hindered by the extreme toxicity of quicksilver. Nearly all the mining and metallurgical processes involved in the processes used to obtain mercury exposed workers to health risk. The extent and seriousness of the health problems suffered by workers at the mine (mainly hydragyrism) led to repeated labour shortages, a problem which reached its peak in the second half of the 18th century. The aim of this paper has been to study the strategies chosen by the managers of the establishment in their efforts to solve the problem and their evolution along the 18th and 19th centuries. Special attention is paid to health strategies engaged in the speedy return to health of the affected workers. Active intervention took various forms, from a patient-specific health centre, the Royal Miners' Hospital, to mechanisms of economic transference to the sick miners. The hospital, founded in 1752 and functioning from 1774, was intended for the free treatment of miners and their families. The most frequent users of the wards were the "temporeros" - peasants from outlying areas who were taken on at the mine for varying lengths of time in the winter and spring, returning to their places of origin for the summer harvest. Treatment was extended to homecare via home visits, the concession of alms-giving and the supply of medicines under advantageous conditions, which specially benefitted miners from the neighbouring town of Almadén. The analysis of the evolution of mine's healthcare system throughout the 18th and 19th centuries confirmed the utilitarian character that its managers intended. Thus, during the mid-19th century, economic and technical changes were implemented which drastically reduced the workforce required. With the shortage of labour no longer a problem, the healthcare system lost a good deal of its usefulness.
从17世纪到19世纪，世界上最重要的汞矿是位于西班牙雷阿尔城省阿尔马登的汞矿。这座国有矿山迅速变得极为重要，因为汞在美洲白银的加工过程中起着关键作用。然而，由于水银的剧毒，达到目标产量的努力受到了阻碍。用于获取汞的几乎所有采矿和冶金过程都使工人面临健康风险。该矿山工人所遭受的健康问题的程度和严重性（主要是汞中毒）导致劳动力反复短缺，这一问题在18世纪后半叶达到顶峰。本文的目的是研究该企业管理者为解决这一问题所选择的策略及其在18世纪和19世纪的演变。特别关注为使受影响工人迅速恢复健康而采取的健康策略。积极干预采取了多种形式，从针对特定患者的健康中心——皇家矿工医院，到向患病矿工进行经济转移的机制。该医院建于1752年，1774年开始运营，旨在为矿工及其家属提供免费治疗。病房最常接待的是“临时工”——来自偏远地区的农民，他们在冬季和春季被矿山雇佣不同时长，夏季收获时返回原籍地。治疗还通过家访、施舍特许权以及以优惠条件供应药品扩展到家庭护理，这特别惠及了来自邻近城镇阿尔马登的矿工。对该矿山医疗保健系统在整个18世纪和19世纪演变的分析证实了其管理者所期望的功利性质。因此，在19世纪中叶，实施了经济和技术变革，大幅减少了所需劳动力。由于劳动力短缺不再是问题，医疗保健系统失去了很大一部分作用。
