engleski

Plague as mediator of health service institutionalization and town development in the 18th century Osijek

After the Christian liberation from Turks in 1687 health service in Osijek was in very poor state. Franciscans were taking care of pharmacy stores and healing was mostly in hands of surgeons or lay people. The only hospital in town was military hospital which was used exclusively for soldiers. Due to the fact that Slavonia was the border region epidemics were very often. The most dreadful among them was the great epidemic of plague devastating this region in the period from 1736 to 1741. It killed almost one third of Osijek residents. Consequently the network of quarantine lazarettos and stationeries were opened in and around Osijek in due time. In this paper we examine the role of plague in the 18th century as well as its consequences regarding development of the public health care system in Osijek. We argue that epidemic of plague which appeared in Osijek in 1736 was among the principal influential factors in improving public health services in Osijek. This was evident in advancing public services, increasing number and structure of medical practitioners, as well as in intensifying awareness for the establishment of the civil hospital suitable to serve its purpose during the subsequent decades.

History of medicine ; Public health institutions-history ; plague epidemics ; Osijek’ s town hospital ; Osijek ; Croatia ; 18th century

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