This analysis of the sanitary policies enforced in the province of Buenos Aires by Domingo Alfredo Mercante-Juan Domingo Perón's right-hand man - focuses on one of his most fascinating efforts: the eradication of hydatidosis.In exploring an issue largely forgotten by historiography, the article describes how the Mercante administration (1946-52) used statistical, socioeconomic, and symbolic legitimization to place hydatidosis on the State agenda. The administration's strategies are also pinpointed: the passing of regulatory laws against this endemic disease; the creation of specific state anti-hydatidosis institutions; the creation of space for information and for interdisciplinary, interministerial, and even supranational education aimed at achieving greater knowledge of the disease and at the exchange of experiences; and, lastly, the definition of initiatives focused on relief, treatment, and prevention in animals and people.
public policy; health; hydatidosis; Mercante; Peronism