Límites de la asistencia médica y social durante la Guerra Civil española en una ciudad de retaguardia: la Inclusa del Hospital Provincial de Valencia

Abstract

Due to its geostrategic condition during the Spanish Civil War, Valencia became one of the Republican cities welcoming more refugees, including many children. In this scenario of demographic and health crisis, the town had to restructure the assistance network in order to accommodate thousands of displaced children, who often had their relatives in faraway places. The paper focuses in the progressive rehabilitation undertaken by the Inclusa of Valencia, which was the provincial foundling hospital. This included deep changes both in its operation and in the admission criteria, particularly following the transfer of the Inclusa of Madrid to Valencia. The resulting overcrowding encouraged the degradation of healthcare and the spread of infectious diseases among the welcomed children.