Environment, housing, and infant mortality: Udine, 1807-1815

Much research on differentials of mortality focuses on the links to social class and socio-economic status. However, these links can be influenced by the location and spatial distribution of a population in a given area. This effect is particularly evident when considering areas that differ greatly in terms of climate and resources, but less so if the analysis is narrowed to a more limited context, such as individual towns. In many urban settings, the distribution of inhabitants follows a logical pattern because different functions are associated with certain areas. This process creates distinctive districts or sub-areas where the population appears relatively socially and economically homogenous. This means we have to look for associations between mortality and environmental and socio-economic factors. However, the geographical distribution of the population in some urban contexts is less clearly differentiated by the socio-economic status of the family. This analysis of Udine, a small town in north-east Italy, makes use of an integrated database derived from information taken from four sources: (a) Napoleonic civil birth registers; (b) Napoleonic civil death registers; (c) a Napoleonic census with information on housing; and (d) a detailed map of Udine. All four sources report the number of people registered for each house, making it possible to geo-reference demographic events while at the same time, controlling for the quality of the housing. This study has three aims: (1) to examine the possible socio-economic factors that affected infant and child mortality levels in the early nineteenth century; (2) to investigate whether these were affected by the housing quality; and (3) to determine if the spatial distribution of this mortality can be interpreted in the light of social and environmental differentials.