ABSTRACT
The history of plague in one city--Vienna, Austria--has been traced from records beginning in the fourteenth century until its disappearance in the eighteenth century. Much of the source material for this review is published for the first time in English and is drawn from records maintained by the city of Vienna at the time of each outbreak. The historical context illustrates the reaction of large populations to deadly disease: fear, helplessness, and acceptance of an ever present threat. Concepts of prophylaxis to ward off the infection were haphazard, empiric, and often dependent on the use of medicaments and treatments that were, in modern terms, irrational. The medical and hygienic concepts of the time were principal impediments to more successful control, as is demonstrated by quotations from official documents dealing with attempts to cope with the epidemic. The development of control measures was painfully slow, and ultimate control was not achieved until socioeconomic improvement and concepts of hygiene both reached the point at which the conditions for the spread of the disease could be minimized.
Subject(s)
Disease Outbreaks/history , Plague/history , Austria/epidemiology , History, 15th Century , History, 16th Century , History, 17th Century , History, 18th Century , History, Ancient , History, Medieval , Humans , Plague/epidemiologyABSTRACT
PIP: There is considerable interest at this time in the possible integration of traditional birth attendants (TBAs) within the health services of a country, particularly in the field of maternal and child health care and family planning. The objectives are better utilization of local human resources as fundamental to public health care, and actions have been taken to improve the utilization, training and supervision of TBAs in these broader fields. Generally, the traditional midwife advises on prenatal care, assists during delivery and gives postnatal care. Several Expert Committees of the World Health Organization (WHO) referred to maternity care in connection with the training of auxiliary health workers, including auxiliary midwives, as early as 1952 and 1955. In many countries this interest stimulated research in order to identify feasible models contributing to the extension of health care through the training of auxiliary and traditional midwives. A problem is the mode of the selection of TBAs as participants in training courses. Most programs provide for group training, but this is not feasible in rural and remote areas with low population density. The acceptance of TBAs is not universal in all developign countries; some governments totally reject the plan. In the absence of evaluation of trained TBAs, doubts have been raised about the effectiveness of the trained TBA. Their role may be limited, transitional at best.^ieng
