Introduction: ways of living, ways of knowing -- From scramblers for fruit to banana empire, 1870-1930 -- Tropical vexations -- Corporate welfarism meets the tropics -- Wandering foci of infection -- Becoming banana cowboys -- Serving science on the side -- Conclusion

The First Central American Working Conditions and Health Survey, carried out in 2011, found that many people are self-employed, and that three-quarters of the workforce are not covered by social security. The most common occupational exposure, for men and women in all economic sectors, is...