Medical Malpractice The Disaster of 1898 and the Iron Surgeon in Spain

Abstract

The Spanish-American War is one of the most forgotten conflicts in American history. That is not the case in Spain. The effects of the war would shake Spain to the core and forever change its trajectory. After the loss of most of the Spanish Empire, a new political and literary movement known as the generation of '98 would arise. This movement reacted to the chaotic state of post-war Spanish politics in a variety of ways. Perhaps the most notable of these reactions was conservative writer and political thinker Jaquin Costa’s conception of the Iron Surgeon, a hypothetical figure who would sweep in and take dictatorial power to repair the Spanish state. This concept formed the bedrock of Spanish nationalism for years to come and even inspired several would-be doctors. The varied reactions of the generation of ‘98 would define Spanish politics for the next half-century.