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The appearance of bubonic plague in Oporto, 1899
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Resumo(s)
A bubonic plague epidemic broke out in the Portuguese city of Oporto in June 1899. Six months later, when it had come to an end, 132 deaths along 320 patients had been recorded. Although it was a city with industrial activity and the precursor of several technological innovations, the hygienic and sanitary conditions of the population of Oporto at that time left a lot to be desired. These features certainly made it easier for the plague to spread, which was detected by unusual deaths in those residing in dilapidated and dirty houses by the river Douro. Ricardo Jorge (1858-1939), the municipal doctor at the time, did not hesitate in stating that the outbreak showed clinical, epidemiological and technological signs of bubonic plague. Civil authorities and the press played down the event for more than a month. Finally, by order of the Government, a wide cordon sanitaire was established around the city, to prevent the spread of the epidemic to the rest of the country. As this resolution was not welcomed by the population, traders, and medical associations, the Government was forced to remove the city siege. Ricardo Jorge, who discovered the cause of the disease and was the main individual promoting the sanitary measures carried out, decided to abandon Oporto and settle in Lisbon after being unfairly misunderstood and subject to persecution.
Descrição
© Vesalius
Palavras-chave
Oporto Bubonic plague Epidemic Cordon sanitaire Sanitary measures
Contexto Educativo
Citação
Martins e Silva, João (2020). Vesalius, Vol.XXVI, No. 1, June e-supplement
Editora
International Society for the History of Medicine