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

Abstract

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.