Historical review of the curative virtue of mineral-medicinal waters of San Miguel de los Baños

Abstract

San Miguel de los Baños was founded and developed thanks to its mineral- medicinal waters. A bibliographic review was carried out with the objective of determining the origin, study and characterization of these waters consulting bibliography and historical documents, searching information without publishing date restriction, using descriptors in databases of the Virtual Health Library and Google for publications, articles and files having the used key words. The authors arrived to the conclusion that in the times of foundation and during the years of the spa functioning, there were carried out studies on characterization, use and therapeutic of the waters running from the springs “El Tigre” and “La Salud”; medical care is not provided since 1962; only geo-mining, physic-chemical and bacteriological studies were carried out from 1984 up to the date. Local population uses the waters without prescription, doses or recording.   No evidence-based studies were published for their current prescription.