Aspectos saludables de la balneaoterapia. Un estudio evolutivo en los balnearios de la provincia de Jaén

Resum

Balneotherapy played an important role in health care during the second half of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Evidence of this was the role played by spas , as health centres, where patients carne to take the waters to cure or alleviate their health problems. In this research, we studied the spa of the province of Jaen: San Andrés (Canena) , Marmolejo , Jabalcuz , La Aliseda (Santa Elena), Virgen de las Mercedes (Frailes), La Rivera (Alcalá la Real), San Bartolomé o de Agua Hedionda (Martas), Fuente Álamo (Alcalá la Real), Baños de Jamilena (La Salvadora) and Baños de Saladillo (Mogón, Villacarrillo) . For each spa, the following information was searched: location and current situation , historical background , characteristics of the water, therapeutic properties , concurrency of patients, diseases , health status after receiving treatment , place of origin and social class of patients, medica! doctors and owners.