Medicus, Vol. 21 No. 1_UGI, 2012.
Review article
Public Health Problems in the Statutes of Towns on the Croatian Adriatic Coast in 13th and 14th Centuries7
Ante Škrobonja
; Medicinski fakultet Sveučilišta u Rijeci
Abstract
Aim: To find public health rules in the oldest medieval statutes of the towns on the Croatian Adriatic coast. Methods: The original documents or translated text editions of the statutes of 13 towns on the eastern Adriatic coast written in 13th and 14th centuries have been examined. Results: The research of the selected archives revealed numerous examples of direct or indirect ways of protecting public health. Among these, the most explicit are the examples which describe the maintenance of public cleanliness and the management of garbage, faeces, dirty water, etc. Rules on healthy water and food are also mentioned. In addition, prostitutes, witches and fortune- tellers were especially treated as a potential threat to public health. Conclusion: The aforementioned rules are not only important from the historical point of view, but also as a reflection of people’s awareness of public health as a condition of survival and progress.
Keywords
history of medicine; 13th and 14th centuries; medicine and law; public health
Hrčak ID:
89367
URI
Publication date:
23.1.2012.
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