Healthiness in the inside of Buenos Aires towards the end of the 19th century. Chivilcoy’s case and the articulation between Municipality, provincial State and civil society in the development of collective facilities

Abstract

This article deals with healthiness issues in the Chivilcoy town, Buenos Aires province, towards the end of the 19th century. First of all, it analyzes the lack of collective equipment necessary to improve the hygienic conditions of the town, a situation that was not only denounced by the local press but also recognized by the Municipality and the provincial State. An attempt is made to show how the financial incapacity of the former, as well as the absence of resources from the latter, encouraged the participation of civil society in different projects that arose to promote the realization of sanitation works and the creation of sanitary institutions. Secondly, the constitution of a local commission that emerged in 1885 with the purpose of promoting works in the town is discussed. Particularly, the project undertaken by this commission to promote the construction of a hospital is analyzed. It acted as a valid interlocutor between the Municipality and the provincial State and managed to carry out the construction of the local hospital. Finally, it analyzes the handover of the hospital to the Municipality and the role that the civil sphere continued to play in contributing to its administration and maintenance.