[The earthquake of 1746 and its impact on health in the city of Lima]. / El terremoto de 1746 y su impacto en la salud en la ciudad de Lima.

During the 18th century, the city of Lima was affected by a series of natural disasters and epidemics that depleted both the population and agricultural production. Next, we will analyze the case of the earth quake in Lima on October 28, 1746 and its impact on the city's health system, given the magnitude of the destruction of infrastructure and the high number of deaths it marked a milestone in Lima's society at the time.

Durante el siglo XVIII la ciudad de Lima fue afectada por una serie de desastres de origen natural y de epidemias que mermaron tanto la población como la producción agrícola. A continuación, analizaremos el caso del terremoto producido en Lima el 28 de octubre de 1746 y su impacto en el sistema de salud de la ciudad. Dada la magnitud de su destrucción en la infraestructura y el alto número de muertes, marcó un hito en la sociedad limeña de la época.

Alexandroupolis (Dedeagatch): A city born of infections and the first documented death of the Italian civilian Giuseppe Bigheti.

The choice of Dedeagatch as the place where the station of the Adrianoupolis-Constantinople railway line was to be built was the reason for the foundation of the Greek city of Alexandroupolis (originally under the Ottoman government). The population grew in its early years mainly due to the settlement by railway and construction workers. Meanwhile, poverty, poor hygiene and environmental conditions led to a series of epidemics and various sporadic cases of infections such as malaria, typhoid fever, scarlet fever and tubercolosis, infections which marked the early history of Alexandroupolis. The first documented death due to typhoid fever in the area, namely that of the Italian civilian Giuseppe Bigheti, is mentioned in the paper.

El terremoto de 1746 y su impacto en la salud en la ciudad de Lima / The earthquake of 1746 and its impact on health in the city of Lima

RESUMEN Durante el siglo XVIII la ciudad de Lima fue afectada por una serie de desastres de origen natural y de epidemias que mermaron tanto la población como la producción agrícola. A continuación, analizaremos el caso del terremoto producido en Lima el 28 de octubre de 1746 y su impacto en el sistema de salud de la ciudad. Dada la magnitud de su destrucción en la infraestructura y el alto número de muertes, marcó un hito en la sociedad limeña de la época.

ABSTRACT During the 18th century, the city of Lima was affected by a series of natural disasters and epidemics that depleted both the population and agricultural production. Next, we will analyze the case of the earth quake in Lima on October 28, 1746 and its impact on the city's health system, given the magnitude of the destruction of infrastructure and the high number of deaths it marked a milestone in Lima's society at the time.

How the Seven Countries Study contributed to the launch and development of cardiovascular epidemiology in Italy. A historical perspective.

The Italian research group of the Seven Countries Study of Cardiovascular Diseases (SCS), through the independent use of the national cohorts and data, had the lucky opportunity, starting in the early 1960, to launch the Italian research in epidemiology of cardiovascular diseases (CVD). In this way, the Italian Section of that international study became the first investigation with baseline measurements in various cohorts, subsequent re-examinations, systematic search for morbid events, and follow-up for mortality up to 50 years. A large number of scientific aspects has been tackled including estimates of morbidity and mortality rates, the association of risk factors with cardiovascular events and total mortality, the role of risk factor changes, the use of multivariable models, the role of lifestyle behavior, the determinants of all-cause mortality including risk factors rarely measured in other studies, the identification of characteristics of a condition called Heart Disease of Uncertain Etiology (HDUE), the production of predictive tools for practical use and several other issues. All this has been enhanced by the availability of extremely long follow-up data rarely found in other studies. Field work organization, measurement techniques, diagnostic criteria, data handling and computing had the limitations and difficulties typical of those times, the mid of last century, when CVD epidemiology was at its beginning. All this represented anyhow the start of CVD epidemiology research in the country and was the stimulus to the start of other studies and a valuable collaboration with some of them.

Childhood health as reflected in adult urban and rural samples from medieval Denmark.

This study examines the evidence of three skeletal markers relating to childhood health that leave permanent observable changes in the adult skeleton. Two are well known to paleopathology, namely Harris lines (HL) and linear enamel hypoplasia (LEH). The third skeletal marker is less commonly used; the permanent changes in the temporal bones, induced by chronic or recurrent infectious middle ear disease (IMED) in childhood. A total of 291 adult skeletons from an urban (n = 109) and a rural (n = 182) cemetery, from the Danish medieval period (1050-1536 CE) were included. The markers were examined for their co-occurrence, and differences between the two samples. No statistically significant difference for the three skeletal markers between the two samples was found. A trend was nevertheless apparent, with greater frequencies for all three skeletal markers for the urban population. A statistically significant relationship was found only between IMED and HL. This positive relation was very low (rɸ = 0.307, 0.275) and may be considered non-existent. The lack of co-occurrence is interpreted as if an individual was exposed to conditions that could cause the osteological expression of all three markers this could be a life-threatening health condition, during developing years.

Trends in mortality and biological stress in a medieval polish urban population.

Urbanization in pre-modern populations may have had a variety of consequences related to population crowding. However, research on the effects of urbanization have provided inconsistent results regarding the biological impact of this transition on human populations. The purpose of this study is to test the hypothesis that urbanization caused an increase in overall biological stress in a medieval (10th-13th centuries AD) Polish population. A human skeletal sample (n=164) was examined for the presence of porotic hyperostosis, cribra orbitalia, linear enamel hypoplasia, periosteal reaction, and specific infectious diseases. Prevalence rates were compared among three temporal samples: initial urbanization, early urbanization, and later urbanization. Results indicate no significant trends for any of the pathological conditions. Cox proportional hazards analyses, however, revealed a significant increase in the risk of death over time, which supports the hypothesis. These results reflect the necessity of using multiple analyses to address bioarchaeological questions. The lack of significant results from skeletal indicators may be due to an earlier urbanization trend in the population. This study illustrates that the association of urbanization with elevated biological stress is complicated and dependent on various factors, including culture and time period.

[First municipal sanitary stations in Russia: history and main activities (to the 125th anniversary since foundation)].

First municipal sanitary stations in Russia were founded in 1891 in the cities of Moscow and St. Petersburg. They were financed by municipal public self-governments. With performing essential laboratory tests and studies, stations were an important element of the organization of sanitary inspection in cities. In the article there is considered the history of the creation offirst sanitary stations and main directions of their activity: control in the sphere offood trade and in the sphere of municipal water supply.

[FOUNDER PERM PROVINCIAL MEDICINE--"PEOPLE'S DOCTOR" F. H. GRAIL].

The article presents the biography of one wonderful doctors, who have high human, civil and professional qualities, Fyodor Ch. Gral.

[Hygiene and urban health as seen by physicians, architects and planners during the first half of the twentieth century]. / Higiene y salud urbana en la mirada de médicos, arquitectos y urbanistas durante la primera mitad del Siglo XX en Chile.

Physicians took part in the promotion of public policies that regulated urban and architectural work, before engineers, architects, planners, and even before the State had a chance to take part in the formulation of such policies. Starting in the late nineteenth century, and especially during the first decade of the twentieth century, the State began to lead on the issue of hygiene and public health. This paper focuses on the role of these professionals, who generated debates within their respective disciplines, or provided -as ministries, public servants or consultants- technical knowledge to the central government. These debates are still relevant for two reasons. First, they serve as reminders of the way in which the voice of these professionals was crucial not only within their respective disciplines, but also in order to place the issue of hygiene and public health on the agenda and to promote public policies related to the urban environment and its population. Secondly, these debates represent a challenge to current planners, as this historic context provides insight on the complex relationship between public health and planning, which hitherto has received little attention.

Higiene y salud urbana en la mirada de médicos, arquitectos y urbanistas durante la primera mitad del Siglo XX en Chile / Hygiene and urban health as seen by physicians, architects and planners during the first half of the twentieth century

Physicians took part in the promotion of public policies that regulated urban and architectural work, before engineers, architects, planners, and even before the State had a chance to take part in the formulation of such policies. Starting in the late nineteenth century, and especially during the first decade of the twentieth century, the State began to lead on the issue of hygiene and public health. This paper focuses on the role of these professionals, who generated debates within their respective disciplines, or provided -as ministries, public servants or consultants- technical knowledge to the central government. These debates are still relevant for two reasons. First, they serve as reminders of the way in which the voice of these professionals was crucial not only within their respective disciplines, but also in order to place the issue of hygiene and public health on the agenda and to promote public policies related to the urban environment and its population. Secondly, these debates represent a challenge to current planners, as this historic context provides insight on the complex relationship between public health and planning, which hitherto has received little attention.

Tuberculosis and survival in past populations: A paleo-epidemiological appraisal.

Historical assessments of the last two centuries consistently placed tuberculosis as the leading cause of mortality. However, for earlier periods, we can only calculate the frequencies of archaeological bone lesions, which tell us little about the real impact of the disease on mortality. These lesions are usually observed in individuals who have developed immune resistance, which is visible as healed osteo-articular lesions. This study aimed to test the differential impacts of tuberculosis, cribra orbitalia and cribra femoris on adult survival and sex-based survival. We analyzed 28 French adult samples from the Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages. The age-at-death of 1480 individuals was estimated using cementochronology. Survival curves and median age-at-death were calculated to test new hypotheses that challenge the parasitic and deficiency theories of bone stress markers. Comparisons between carriers and non-carriers provided new information concerning the plausible causes of bone stress markers related to infections and TB. The most likely hypothesis is skeletal demineralization and osteoclastic resorption, which are usually observed close to tubercular granuloma or distant from active lesions. The bone marrow niche of Mycobacterium tuberculosis within CD271(+) BM-MSCs stem cells is the proposed explanation for the localized cortical resorption that is observed in bone stress markers.

The ancient city of Rome, its empire, and the spread of tuberculosis in Europe.

The formation of the Roman Empire constituted an unprecedented joining of Mediterranean and European lands and peoples, centering on the capital of Rome. During the late Roman Republic and early Roman Empire (ca. 200B.C.-ca. 200 A.D.) urbanization and population growth led to conditions favorable to the spread of tuberculosis throughout Italy and especially within Rome itself. Trade and military expansion would have acted as vehicles for the further extension of tuberculosis to the provinces via direct transmission from Italian-born Romans to the native populations. However, an alternative explanation may better explain the increase in the number of archeological cases of tuberculosis with the start of the Roman era. A literature review of Roman-era cases and their locations suggests that the development of an urban, Roman way of life resulted in significant increases in prevalence in regions where tuberculosis had previously been endemic only at a low level.

Tuberculosis: A biosocial study of admissions to a children's sanatorium (1936-1954) in Stannington, Northumberland, England.

This study considers the biosocial profile of children admitted to the Philipson Children's Sanatorium at Stannington, Morpeth, Northumberland, England (1936-1954). The objective was to understand the differential impact of TB on male and female admissions at Stannington, according to a number of variables. A total of 1987 medical files were analysed. More females than males were admitted, peaks of admission at age six and 13 were documented, and the majority of children derived from poor urban areas. Over 60% (1199, 63.5%) of children had pulmonary TB, and 12% (230) had bone or joint involvement. The implementation of chemotherapy (streptomycin) at Stannington (1946), the end of the 2nd World War (1945), and the founding of the National Health Service (1948) did not have any great effect on the biosocial profile of children admitted to the sanatorium and treated (age, sex, origin, type of TB suffered, and socioeconomic status). Reasons for these finding are discussed.

[Scoliotic young girls and orthopaedics in Belle Epoque: the urban surge of mecanotherapy in Lausanne and Geneva]. / Jeunes filles scoliotiques et orthopédie a la Belle Epoque: l'essor urbain de la mécanothérapie a Lausanne et Genève.

In Belle Epoque towns marked by the industrial and medical surge, a new technical therapy, called mechanotherapy, emerged, stemming from Swedish medical gymnastics and auxiliary to orthopaedics. Aiming mostly at treating scoliosis, this therapy by movement attracted a sizeable female clientele to these towns, because of the hygienic and social conceptions feeding collective imagination linked to the bodies of scoliotic young girls. Taking the French-speaking Swiss towns of Lausanne and Geneva as examples, the article first seeks to describe the emergence of mechanotherapy as a medical and urban phenomenon. It then addresses the role played by scoliosis in this orthopaedic practice, and examines the clientele attracted to the towns, among which well-born young girls seem to be predominant.

[Cholera epidemic in Brescia in 1836]. / L'epidemia di colera a Brescia del 1836.

Cholera first made its appearance in Italy in 1836. According to reports of the time the consequences were catastrophic: both the number of the people falling ill and the incidence of mortality were high. On the basis of extensive documentation from various archives, the disease appears to have been known in its clinical aspect but its aetiology remained obscure. Hence physicians were powerless to combat such a scourge. The sense of unease and confusion that accompanied the evolution of these sad events drove the population to the use of religious practices of various kinds. It is still possible to find signs of such devotion in churches, votive chapels and ex voto offerings.

Lessons learned? Nurses and health demonstration projects in New York City, 1920-1935.

This historical case study looks at two foundation-funded health demonstration projects in New York City from 1920 to 1935. It specifically examines the disciplinary interests, the work, and the aspirations of nurses and social workers as they tried to provide coordinated and cost-effective care to the individuals and families with whom they worked. It attends to the processes--not just the outcomes--involved in the coming together and moving apart of the different organizations, disciplinary interests, knowledge domains, and spheres of public and private responsibilities involved in caring for those in need. It locates the problems of coordination within disciplinary tensions as nurses and social worker--working within a web of gender, class, race, and power--sought to advance their own disciplinary interests even as they searched for better ways to care for the families in their charge.

"The law has no feeling for poor folks like us!" Everyday responses to legal compulsion in England's working-class communities, 1871-1904.

During the late Victorian period, the role of the state increased dramatically in England's working-class urban communities. New laws on labor, health, and education, enforced by a growing bureaucracy of elected and appointed officials, extended the reach of public authority into daily life on an unprecedented scale. Everyday negotiations between these officials and working-class men and women, I argue, were key moments for determining the practical impact of new social welfare policies. This was particularly true in the contestation over children's compulsory school attendance, as I demonstrate through a close examination of the daily encounters between parents and education officials. Despite the growing size and authority of the Victorian state, working-class parents effectively mitigated the impact of the compulsory education laws on their families. They were able to do so because the categories that governed the level of enforcement­age, household economic status, health, and labor­were themselves determined through daily dialogues between parents and education officials. Parents' familiarity with the law and with the dynamics of the public education bureaucracy were key factors in these negotiations, as were internal fractures within the Victorian state itself. Working-class parents, and mothers in particular, also countered officials' moral policy justifications with their own discourse of right and wrong, which focused on the legitimacy of parental authority, an insistence on just treatment, and the elevation of household needs over the laws' requirements.

Spatial variations in US poverty: beyond metropolitan and non-metropolitan.

Because poverty in rural and urban areas of the US often has different causes, correlates and solutions, effective anti-poverty policies depend on a thorough understanding of the ruralness or urbanness of specific places. This paper compares several widely used classification schemes and the varying magnitudes of poverty that they reveal in the US. The commonly used 'metropolitan/non-metropolitan' distinction obscures important socioeconomic differences among metropolitan areas, making our understanding of the geography of poverty imprecise. Given the number and concentration of poor people living in mixed-rural and rural counties in metropolitan regions, researchers and policy-makers need to pay more nuanced attention to the opportunities and constraints such individuals face. A cross-classification of the Office of Management and Budget's metro system with a nuanced RUDC scheme is the most effective for revealing the geographical complexities of poverty within metropolitan areas.