reasons for the rise and decline of the spas in the first place. Neither does he adequately explore why Carratraca became one of the most important spas of the country, or why another one-Tolox-followed a very different developmental pattern, in that it began to take off at the beginning of the present century when the others were in definite decline. Moreover, although the book makes it clear that Malaga followed the more general European developments in the "history of waters and spas", it

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... ld also have been interesting to see the spa placed within a broader medical context in Spain and to hear a bit more about the particular Spanish relationship between religion and science in the constitution of the healing powers of water. All the same, this richly documented and carefully researched work is in many respects a plentiful source of information, particularly with regard to the local history of Mailaga, the relationship between the infrastructure of the spas and the economic situation of the province, and the spas' institutional history.