Do We Learn from Natural Disasters? The 1877-1879 Drought and Famine in Northeast Brazil
This piece shares recent research on the causes of the 1877-1879 famine in Brazil, narrowing on food prices and mortality.
Articles
Research note: the rise of public health
This post focuses on scientific and social factors to explain the rise of public health as a state priority during the 19th century.
Smallpox vaccination in 19th-century Finland: lessons from a vaccine mandate
In historical Finland, the vaccination law succeeded in improving smallpox vaccine uptake despite high hesitancy among the public.
Long run differences in mortality rates between Indigenous and white Australians 1788-2000
The persistent lower-life expectancy of Indigenous Australians reflects contemporary social failures and the impact of a violent colonial past.
Medical progress and health inequality: penicillin in Italy
This post argues that the introduction of penicillin in post-war Italy led to lower levels of regional health inequality.
Tea Drinking Curbed Mortality Rates in England
The introduction of tea in 18th century England resulted in an increase in consumption of boiled water, thereby reducing mortality rates.
Socioeconomic Health Inequalities are a Matter of Human Rights
Human rights are an authoritative moral and legal framework that can be used by governments to reduce socioeconomic health inequalities
Missing Women in Colonial India
This post presents patterns of missing women in Colonial India. Male-biased sex ratios emerge most visibly after age 10.
Epidemic Disease and Indigenous Survival: Research Findings for Colonial Latin America
Post-contact depopulation in the New World resulted from the introduction of epidemic diseases to which Indigenous peoples were defenceless.
Living in an Interwar World: Communicable Disease and Epidemic Information
This article traces the origins of the current system of global health information and the foundations of current communications problems.
