Luis Huerta: Eugenics, Medicine and Pedagogy in Spain

By comparison with the historiography of other European and Anglo-Saxon countries, the study of the origins and spread of Eugenics in Spain has not received much attention. Even less research has been done on the degree of acceptance of eugenic thought in the pedagogical domain or on the role teachers may have in the diffusion of eugenics. This paper attempts to explore the subject while focusing the analysis on the relations that were established among Medicine, Pedagogy and Eugenics in Spain during the first third of the 20th century. We will take as a point of reference and guiding line of thought the figure of the Asturian teacher Luis Huerta Naves, who was the driving force and tireless advocate of the eugenics movement in our country.