Jedno miasto, dwa różne światy. Społeczno-przestrzenne zróżnicowanie umieralności niemowląt w Szczecinie w latach 1876–1913 (część II)

• Authors: Dariusz K. Chojecki

Title variants

EN

Two cities, two different worlds. Social-spatial diversification of infant mortality in Szczecin in the years 1876–1913 (part II)

• Languages of publication: PL

Abstracts

EN

The article touches upon issues connected with infant mortality in Szczecin in the years of 1876–1913, analyzing the phenomenon with the emphasis on the social-spatial diversification. The choice of the research topic was determined by two factors. Firstly, at the beginning of the 20th century in Szczecin infant mortality was exceptionally high in comparison with other big German and European towns; secondly, the phenomenon gave rise to one of the first surveys concerning infant mortality, financed by the city in 1902. Apart from the latter – published in the magistrate records – (Bericht über die Verwaltung über der Gemeinde-Angelegenheiten der Stadt Stettin), the source material for the article is the monumental Statistics of Prussia (Preußische Statistik) and The Statistical Yearbook of the City of Szczecin (Statistischer Jahresbericht der Stadt Stettin). Archival materials kept in the State Archive in Szczecin have a complementary significance. They include the correspondence of the royal district doctors (kgl. Kreisärzte) conducted with the authorities of the Szczecin Province (Regierung Stettin). In order to limit the influence of the destiny factor, the method of aggregation of data was used. In the analysis of the population processes commonly used demographic rates and graphic representations were employed. The Geographic Information System (GIS) was used to show spatial differences in the shaping of different phenomena. The method of standard deviation was chosen. The basis for the description of the issues constituted a simple model of causes of infant mortality by Jörgen Vögele, with emphasis on the analysis of deaths due to disorders in the digestive system, treating their level as the marker of the influence of exogeneous environmental factors. The research showed a negative influence of the growing influx of people to the city on infant mortality. It was particularly visible at the end of the 19th century, when the development of industry in the city and nearby towns reached its peak. In that period post-natal mortality was the highest in comparison with infant mortality. It shows the role of environmental factors in the high rate of deaths of children who were under 1 year old. In the group of the aforementioned factors, the most prominent turned out to be insufficient breast-feeding. The 1902 survey demonstrated that among the youngest children who died of digestive disorders (51,5% of the total of deaths), only 0,3% were children who had been constantly breast-fed. In the group of children who died of digestive disorders the number of children of better-off parents was lower. The situation made the municipal authorities take prevention measures, including the promotion of breast-feeding among poorer population strata where infant mortality was much higher than in families of better-off parents. It is confirmed indirectly by the social-professional statistics of the natural demographic changes from the years of 1902–1913 ( the rate of deaths of children of unqualified agricultural workers was set against the rate of deaths of children of freelancers and officers – the difference amounted to 270%) and the spatial statistics of the natural demographic changes from the years 1911–1913 ( the rate of infant deaths in bourgeois districts was set against the one in workers’ areas – the difference was 130%). A clear negative correlation between the average number of rooms and infant mortality in the statistics districts of Szczecin (–0,808; p<0,001) allows the author to consider the economic factor very important in the creation of the phenomenon. However, bad housing was connected with infant deaths from digestive disorders only in half of the cases (1902), which indicates “bad habits” of parents, which are statistically more di cult to grasp. At the beginning of the 20th century together with the fall in the number of births, the increase in general wealth and the introduction of care over newborn babies, including the obligatory control of non-marital children (1910), infant mortality started to fall. However, it still remained high in comparison with other German cities. Moreover, social differences in relation to the phenomenon did not disappear, but they became stronger. It has not been explained yet why Szczecin was the leader in the disgraceful statistics.

Keywords

EN

Pomerania; historical demography; mortality; social history; 19th and 20th century; Szczecin

• Publisher: Towarzystwo Naukowe w Toruniu
• Journal: Zapiski Historyczne
• Year: 2010
• Volume: 75
• Issue: 2
• Pages: 103-150

Contributors

author

Dariusz K. Chojecki

• Instytut Historii i Stosunków Międzynarodowych, Uniwersytet Szczeciński