Medical Assistance offered by Sociedad Anónima Minas de Riosa (Spain). Company archive as source to Social History

Abstract

Sociedad Anónima Minas de Riosa was a mining company that developed its activity in Riosa and Morcín ( Asturias-Spain) at the beginning of the twentieth century. It was founded in 1899, with Spanish capital, and the same year it bought, at public auction, the coal reserve of Riosa, the largest, and best, reserve of coal in Spain. Its relevance was determined by the quality of its coal and by its corporate and technological innovations. All documents generated in the course of their duties are preserved. There is a large volume of documentation. In its first year of operation, and prior to the establishment of the Law of accidents, the company exercised some protection to their workers. We study the medical leave and the prescriptions by Company´s doctors, to know the medical care that Sociedad Anónima Minas de Riosa provided to its miners.