Izvorni znanstveni članak
https://doi.org/10.22586/pp.v44i69.7fpm5h03
Child Mortality among the Reformed Populace of Southern Baranya as Evident from Death Registers (1750-1850)
Dubravka Božić Bogović
Eldina Lovaš
Sažetak
Based on the analysis and interpretation of data from the death registers of ten Reformed parishes in southern Baranya, the study examines the characteristics of child mortality among the Hungarian Reformed population from the mid-18th to the mid-19th century. The analysed material constitutes a relatively representative sample, covering more than a century of largely continuous records documenting the homogeneous and predominantly closed rural community of Hungarian Calvinists in southern Baranya. Entries in the death registers were generally complete and consistently maintained. During the observed period, nearly half of all recorded deaths (49.63%) were of individuals under fifteen years of age. Within this age group, infants accounted for the largest share of total deaths (20.22%), followed by children of early age (14.75%), while children aged five to fourteen represented 8.84% of all deaths. Newborns made up 11.69% of all deaths and 57.84% of infant deaths. The decline in the overall mortality rate from around 40‰ in the second half of the 18th century to around 30‰ in the first half of the 19th century was accompanied by a corresponding decline in early childhood mortality, but infant mortality increased over the same period. Patterns of child mortality point to a combination of biological, environmental, socioeconomic, and cultural factors influencing both maternal and child health, and thus the survival prospects of children at different ages. The results confirm the predominance of endogenous causes among infants who died within the first week of life, while also emphasizing the importance of midwives’ presence during childbirth; most of the studied settlements had one midwife each. Mortality among children older than one month was strongly influenced by exogenous factors – particularly sanitary conditions, access to health care, and socioeconomic status – all of which were generally poor in the studied communities. Infant deaths were most frequent in autumn (30.29%) and least frequent in summer (16.95%), reflecting the seasonal distribution of births, whereas seasonal variations in mortality among older children appear related to the seasonality of diseases from which they most frequently suffered. Maternal age also affected child mortality, particularly among newborns of older mothers. Birth order was another factor: first-born children were particularly vulnerable, with nearly two thirds dying in infancy. Overall, the findings indicate that the Reformed Hungarian population of southern Baranya exhibited infant and child mortality patterns characteristic of traditional rural societies in the pre-transition era.
Ključne riječi
child mortality; death registers; historical demography; southern Baranya; Hungarians; Calvinists; 18th and 19th centuries
Hrčak ID:
341974
URI
Datum izdavanja:
19.12.2025.
Posjeta: 503 *