title: Sera-therapy, exile and Franco's regime. The survival strategy of the Ravetllat-Pla Institute in postwar Spain.
abstract: The aim of this paper is to analyse the scientific and commercial survival strategy of the Ravetllat-Pla Institute after the Spanish Civil War. Founded in 1923 by Ramon Pla (1880-1956) and Joaquim Ravetllat (1872-1923), it produced two sera: 'Hemo-antitoxin' and the 'Ravetllat-Pla serum'. When the Civil War ended and Ramon Pla was forced into exile, management of this laboratory was taken over by his daughter, Núia Pla Monseny (1918- 2011) who had to deal with an extremely difficult economic, political and commercial situation. In this paper, I analyse the means by which the Institute survived. These involved the Institute's ability to construct different political symbols from 'Hemo-antitoxin'. I study how Franco's repression influenced this survival strategy and Ramon Pla's role in exile. I also analyse the part played in this scientific and commercial process by the Institute's scientific and commercial network in Chile.
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Estapé Egea
mesh_terms: D000047:Academies and Institutes / Q000266:history*; D000992:Antitoxins / Q000191:economics / Q000266:history*; D000995:Antitubercular Agents / Q000191:economics / Q000266:history*; D049673:History, 20th Century; D011057:Politics; D013030:Spain
chemical_list: D000992:Antitoxins; D000995:Antitubercular Agents