Kada bukne kratelj: borba protiv kolere u Dalmaciji tijekom 19. stoljeća

Abstract

Anti-epidemic measures against cholera for Dalmatia were issued in Zadar following the recommendations of the relevant ministry in Vienna. The enforcement of these measures required the mobilization of the local authorities, medical and sanitary staff, pastors and civilians. Official instructions reflected the work of the medical police, a public health concept introduced to Dalmatia by the Austrian government. In addition to regulations governing behaviour during cholera epidemics, the government’s instructions included preventive and therapeutic advice that mirrored local customs and the specific aspects of everyday life in Dalmatia. Preventive advice focused on diet and the public’s lifestyle, while therapeutic advice adhered to basic medical standards that relied on the principles of humoral medicine for most of the 19th century. Medical experts warned that intense emotions weaken the body’s natural defences, and fear was deemed particularly harmful. The universal advice for overcoming fear was piety and a peaceful surrender to a higher power. The management of epidemics was also influenced by political circumstances. The collapse of absolutism and decentralization were reflected in official anti-epidemic instructions as of the 1860s. However, demands for their strict enforcement did not diminish. Moreover, knowledge about cholera was greatly influenced by the development of bacteriology and the identification of the causes of this disease. Still, experience-based preventive and lifestyle advice remained virtually unaltered. On the other hand, thanks to the development of chemistry, disinfection methods were significantly modified and improved. Due to growing confidence in scientific research and the secularization of state institutions in the last two decades of the 19th century, the government ceased giving spiritual advice.