The dynamics of healthscaping: mapping communal hygiene in Bologna, 1287–1383

• Autores: Taylor Zaneri, G. GELTNER
• Localización: Urban history, ISSN-e 1469-8706, Vol. 49, Num. 1, 2022, págs. 2-27
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • This article traces how urban communities operating with a humoral or Galenic medical paradigm understood and confronted the health challenges facing them, using the extraordinarily well-documented case of Bologna, Italy. Working within a GIS environment, the authors spatially analyse over 3,500 events recorded by the Ufficio del fango concerning violations of the city's health-related ordinances, augmented by other demographic and material data. As such, the study not only adds specificity to recent attempts to enrich the field of pre-modern public health, but also demonstrates that the Bolognese administration had a sophisticated and evolving understanding of communal health risks, and exposes several discrepancies between policy and practice.