Evil plants and perilous waters: Science and technology in the Po Valley (18th and 19th centuries)

In the 18th and 19th centuries, scholars and technicians became more and more interested in issues related to public health, such as food security, good hygiene in towns and the countryside, and the fight against ‘paludism’. Through the analysis of correspondence, reports, projects, and technical texts, this chapter examines some case studies from the Po Valley related to public health implementation plans in northern Italy, an area particularly productive in terms of agriculture and animal husbandry, but also rich of waters and swampy areas. The goal of the chapter is to discuss the more or less ‘sustainable’ attempts to reconcile the agricultural sector, public health, and the environment in a key period for the evolution of science and technology in Italy.