A deadly discrimination among Montreal infants, 1860–1900

Abstract

We compare Montreal's three largest cultural communities – French Canadian, Irish Catholic, and Anglo-Protestant – with respect to infant survival over the forty years 1860–1900. From three birth cohorts we present evidence for a powerful and persistent cultural dimension which outweighs distinctions of social status. The local cultural mix offers insights into mechanisms operating through a chain of cultural practices, property interests, ethnic politics, and spatial segregation.