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Environment, Tropical Disease, and Scientific Networks in Argentina: Folclore and Multiscalar Mobilities.

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Bibliographic Details
Title: Environment, Tropical Disease, and Scientific Networks in Argentina: Folclore and Multiscalar Mobilities.
Authors: Balloffet L; University of California, Santa Cruz, USA. lballoff@ucsc.edu.
Source: Journal of the history of biology [J Hist Biol] 2025 Sep; Vol. 58 (3), pp. 387-411. Date of Electronic Publication: 2025 Oct 03.
Publication Type: Historical Article; Journal Article
Language: English
Journal Info: Publisher: Springer Country of Publication: Germany NLM ID: 0202503 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1573-0387 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 00225010 NLM ISO Abbreviation: J Hist Biol Subsets: MEDLINE
Imprint Name(s): Publication: 1998- : Heidelberg : Springer
Original Publication: Cambridge, Belknap Press of Harvard Univ. Press.
MeSH Terms: Tropical Medicine*/history , Public Health*/history , Zoology*/history , Environment*, Argentina ; History, 20th Century ; Animals ; Humans
Abstract: Competing Interests: Declarations. Conflict of interest: The author declares no competing interests.
This article employs space and place as analytic categories in the history of life sciences and public health research in rural Argentina. The historical-ecological panorama of South America's "Gran Chaco" region served as the backdrop to key life sciences research agendas and public health initiatives of the twentieth century. Through an examination of the cross-disciplinary works of Argentine zoologist, schoolteacher, and fiction writer Jorge Washington Ábalos (1915-1979), this investigation reveals how his social and professional identities, together with multiscalar mobilities and networks of knowledge production, came to bear on the ways in which he conducted research, engaged with collaborators during his field practice, and produced knowledge over the course of his career. More broadly, this study posits the sociospatial and cultural specificities of place (in this case the Gran Chaco) as key forces that shape ideas and practices relevant to the history of biology. The study draws from a diverse bibliography of publications from Ábalos' multifaceted career. His works include scientific reports on the venomous fauna of the Gran Chaco (animal behavior, morphology, and taxonomy), and epidemiological studies of what the global health community today terms "Neglected Tropical Diseases." These are accompanied by a collection of novels, short stories and autobiographically-inspired accounts of his time spent living in rural landscapes and social contexts.
(© 2025. The Author(s).)
References: J Hist Biol. 2022 Dec;55(4):689-723. (PMID: 36357812)
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Bull Pan Am Health Organ. 1992;26(3):256-70. (PMID: 1393196)
Contributed Indexing: Keywords: Field practice; Latin America; Mobilities; Networks; Tropical medicine
Entry Date(s): Date Created: 20251003 Date Completed: 20251126 Latest Revision: 20251129
Update Code: 20251129
PubMed Central ID: PMC12657537
DOI: 10.1007/s10739-025-09830-x
PMID: 41042476
Database: MEDLINE
Description
Abstract:Competing Interests: Declarations. Conflict of interest: The author declares no competing interests.<br />This article employs space and place as analytic categories in the history of life sciences and public health research in rural Argentina. The historical-ecological panorama of South America's "Gran Chaco" region served as the backdrop to key life sciences research agendas and public health initiatives of the twentieth century. Through an examination of the cross-disciplinary works of Argentine zoologist, schoolteacher, and fiction writer Jorge Washington Ábalos (1915-1979), this investigation reveals how his social and professional identities, together with multiscalar mobilities and networks of knowledge production, came to bear on the ways in which he conducted research, engaged with collaborators during his field practice, and produced knowledge over the course of his career. More broadly, this study posits the sociospatial and cultural specificities of place (in this case the Gran Chaco) as key forces that shape ideas and practices relevant to the history of biology. The study draws from a diverse bibliography of publications from Ábalos' multifaceted career. His works include scientific reports on the venomous fauna of the Gran Chaco (animal behavior, morphology, and taxonomy), and epidemiological studies of what the global health community today terms "Neglected Tropical Diseases." These are accompanied by a collection of novels, short stories and autobiographically-inspired accounts of his time spent living in rural landscapes and social contexts.<br /> (© 2025. The Author(s).)
ISSN:1573-0387
DOI:10.1007/s10739-025-09830-x