Defunciones - History Lab

Bishop and Inquisitor against burials in churches, 1781

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:33:11 +0000

Felipe Bertrán, Inquisitor General and bishop of Salamanca, argues that the burial of the faithful in churches goes against the principles of the primitive Church and constitutes a source of unhealthiness. In the same way he says that the sacred space is meant for praying, hearing the Holy Mass and receiving the body and blood of the Saviour. He then makes a historical exhortation to the evolution of mortuary practice in churches. This response was offered to the Council of Castile in its 1781 consultation with the Spanish bishops on the question of burials in places of worship.

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Smallpox mortality in New Spain. The parish of San Pablo Apetatitlan, 1797-1798

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:29:48 +0000

During the Modern Age, smallpox was an epidemic that decimated numerous populations on the European continent. America’s joining the world-system meant that this territory also became involved in global problems. The resource shows the incidence in New Spain of the last smallpox epidemic of the 18th century in that viceroyalty through the parish of San Pablo Apetatitlan, in the governorate of Tlaxcala. In this rural parish, between December 1797 and December 1798, a total of 75 deaths from smallpox were recorded, most of them indigenous people from this rural area. The author places the epidemic cycle in October 1797 in the city of Puebla, arriving in the jurisdiction of Tlaxcala in the first week of December. Its arrival led to a dramatic increase in mortality in the first few days of its appearance; 91.42% of deaths from the disease were recorded in one month. After the strong impact, social isolation and quarantines were the measures adopted by the authorities.

The post Smallpox mortality in New Spain. The parish of San Pablo Apetatitlan, 1797-1798 first appeared on History Lab.

Deaths in the city of Granada between 1647 and 1648

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:29:36 +0000

Epidemics were a constant throughout the Modern Age, decimating the number of inhabitants. The graph shows the evolution of mortality in the city of Granada in two years: 1647 and 1648. In the context of the typhus that struck the city, mortality was stable during the first year, but from June onwards it increased considerably until September, when it remained almost constant until November and December. At the beginning of 1648, the first months are more benign; however, from June onwards, it increases again until its peak in September where, unlike the previous year, it drops considerably until December. Analysis of the data reveals the seasonality of deaths in Granada: the summer months. By age group, adults suffer the most from this phenomenon, followed by children and, finally, young people. Apart from the extraordinary epidemiological effects, the mortality rate is in line with that of the old demographic regime.

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The post Deaths in the city of Granada between 1647 and 1648 first appeared on History Lab.

Vital series of the town of Albacete in the 18th century

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:29:31 +0000

The demographic structure of the town of Albacete consisted of a high-pressure model where both births and deaths were high. The figures on baptisms show a period of slow growth from 1700 to 1740; from that date onwards, they increased until the 1760s, years in which there were numerous epidemic and food crises. In 1775 the situation stabilised, showing stable growth. Likewise, deaths increased at the turn of the century due to the War of the Spanish Succession (1701-1714) and the fin-de-siecle crises, on the eve of the French invasion. Finally, due to the social culture of the Ancien Régime, marriage was a constant without temporal disturbances: a legitimate means to survive in the social fabric by bringing families together to concentrate patrimony.

The post Vital series of the town of Albacete in the 18th century first appeared on History Lab.

Deaths in the parishes of Salamanca during the cholera epidemics of 1834, 1855 and 1885

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:28:46 +0000

During the 19th century, cholera was the pandemic par excellence. In the specific case of Salamanca, it caused three major mortality crises in 1834, 1855 and 1885. Due to their disruptive effects on the course of life, cholera epidemics had a great impact on the societies of the time. This disease is caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae, which we now know is transmitted through the ingestion of contaminated water or food. The development of mortality in Salamanca is summarised in this graph, where parish deaths show an upward trend linked to population growth. The main peaks of the three cholera epidemics of 1834, 1855 and 1885-86 are striking, where a significant proportion of the deaths, 35% on average, were not recorded in the parishes. However, the first two epidemics were much more intense, about 8 on the Dupâquier scale, and with a Del Panta and Livi-Bacci index implying more than twice as many deaths as expected. In comparison, the 1885 epidemic is less intense, with an excess mortality of 56% and a Dupâquier index below 3. Thus, the absolute excess mortality would be at its highest in 1855, over 700 deaths, compared to around 600 in 1834 and around 400 in 1885.

The post Deaths in the parishes of Salamanca during the cholera epidemics of 1834, 1855 and 1885 first appeared on History Lab.

The evolution of generational demographic parameters in Southern Western Galicia (1584-1670)

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:28:40 +0000

The resource deals with the demographic evolution of four generations, looking at their family composition, number of families, ages of access to marriage and the duration of marriage, among other items, between 1584 and 1670. The geographical area is centred on the south of western Galicia, the Bajo Miño, through the study of the rural parish of San Martín de Caldelas; a North Atlantic demographic model marked by the late age of access to marriage for women (24.5 years), the low level of second marriages (16.7%) and the duration of marriage (25 years) which resulted in a duration of fertility for couples of 13.9 years. The intergenerational synthesis reflected in the resource is reflected in the exponential growth of the parish which, after 100 years, had to be remodelled to increase its capacity to welcome the faithful. The growth, according to the author’s study, was mainly due to the nuptiality; a framework of legitimised fecundity, and the low mortality of those born.

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