Diffusion of innovations and balneotherapy development: Adding the chemical progress

Abstract

The big thermalism expansion during the XIX century was result of the confluence of many social and scientific factor. One of the most important of these factors was the science development, specially in the field of geology, biology, medical sciences and chemistry. In this study we examine how medicine incorporated chemistry advances to be able to know better the mineral water, the different points of view about the theories and the used methods and the roll of the Academia de Ciencias de Barcelona in this process.