The look of the portuguese periodical press on diseases and epidemics in Portugal in the first decades of the 20th century

Abstract

The occurrence of epidemics accompanied man throughout history. There were several causes that contributed to the various outbreaks, namely, the lack of cleaning and hygiene care of the body, homes and public spaces, among others. The epidemic scourge worsened above all during the 19th century, which contributed to the development of transport, which facilitated the movement of people, goods, but also of diseases. It was during the 19th century that the periodical press, despite the high levels of illiteracy of the Portuguese population, played a fundamental role in disseminating information and raising awareness about the care to be taken in the fields of public and private health and hygiene. Our work essentially focuses on the analysis of news, opinion articles and advertisements published in the Portuguese press, about the different epidemic outbreaks that affected Portugal in the first decades of the 20th century. Based on the data collected, we intend to identify the most debated matters in the health area, namely those related to forms of treatment and prevention, as well as the changes that the emergence of diseases caused in the health and hygiene of public spaces.