Sociomedical indicators in the cholera epidemic in Ferrara of 1855

Abstract

The historical report on the cholera epidemic of 1855, conserved in Ferrara City's archives allowed us to verify the probable relation between the environment and epidemic in a broad sense, using log-linear analysis and multiple logistic regression. Two thousand and thirty-three cases were analyzed and the quantitative/qualitative variables available from the report were analyzed in relationship with mortality and morbidity rates, considered as response variables. From the analysis of the quantitative variables, it emerges that the variables having a significant influence on the morbidity/mortality rates are the number of individuals and the average number of inhabitants per house. From the analysis of the qualitative variables, it emerges that all the descriptive variables of the state of the streets and houses express a strong association with mortality and morbidity. With the present analysis, data available – a detailed 'street by street’ morbidity and mortality recording from cholera in 1855 in Ferrara – were analyzed with modern means and the overall picture that emerge is that in the better kept houses in the better parts of the town had less cholera morbidity and especially mortality.