During the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) an outbreak of leprosy on the island of Tenerife began to raise alarm; by 1940 a total of 197 cases had been reported. Early medicine lacked a familiarity with the infectious disease, and this was reflected in crude methods of therapy and treatment of the afflicted. At the time it was believed quarantined isolation in an arid, temperate climate was the most appropriate solution to dealing with the malady. Tenerife’s first leprosy station was on the north side of the island. The second would be located in Arico, near “Los Abriguitos” and present-day Abades. The location was also conveniently out of the way of the public’s eye. Spanish ruler Francisco Franco’s Falange military would oversee the southern leper colony project, which was given the green light in 1942. Spanish architect Jose Enrique Marrero Regalado (pictured above right), was well-versed in neo-canario monumental design, and tasked to pen the sanatorium structures. He is also credited with the Basilica in Candelaria, the Cabildo and the Mercado de Nuestra Señora de África in Santa Cruz, and the Siboney Building in Santander, Spain. The “Sanatorio de Abona” consisted of forty buildings, including a crematorium, dormitories, a hospital, and the impressive church. Patients were to be separated for the healthy and sick by gender. The sanatorium itself contained a dining hall, exam rooms, temporary residential quarters, and a recreation area. Tourist Resort | Village | Vacations | Travel Destinations | Horizontal
High Resolution JPEG Picture of During the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) an outbreak of leprosy on the island of Tenerife began to raise alarm; by 1940 a total of 197 cases had been reported. Early medicine lacked a familiarity with the infectious disease, and this was reflected in crude methods of therapy and treatment of the afflicted. At the time it was believed quarantined isolation in an arid, temperate climate was the most appropriate solution to dealing with the malady. Tenerife’s first leprosy station was on the north side of the island. The second would be located in Arico, near “Los Abriguitos” and present-day Abades. The location was also conveniently out of the way of the public’s eye. Spanish ruler Francisco Franco’s Falange military would oversee the southern leper colony project, which was given the green light in 1942. Spanish architect Jose Enrique Marrero Regalado (pictured above right), was well-versed in neo-canario monumental design, and tasked to pen the sanatorium structures. He is also credited with the Basilica in Candelaria, the Cabildo and the Mercado de Nuestra Señora de África in Santa Cruz, and the Siboney Building in Santander, Spain. The “Sanatorio de Abona” consisted of forty buildings, including a crematorium, dormitories, a hospital, and the impressive church. Patients were to be separated for the healthy and sick by gender. The sanatorium itself contained a dining hall, exam rooms, temporary residential quarters, and a recreation area. [1486645182] stock photo
