The 1918 flu pandemic left Spain a more unequal country
Pandemics are often considered “big levelers” events. We show that the Spanish Flu, one of the deadliest pandemics in history, doesn’t fit this narrative in Spain, which became more unequal.
The trend of emotional well-being in Nineteenth-century Britain
According to the language used in political pamphlets, the emotional well-being of British men neither increased nor decreased between 1800 and 1900, despite economic growth and material progress.
The drivers of institutionalization among the elderly in Europe
Will future increases in life expectancy improve life quality? If we consider the elderly, this is unclear, especially among permanently institutionalized individuals, whose quality of life is often worse.
The Spanish hospital system during the Franco dictatorship
The creation of the Spanish public hospital system during Franco’s dictatorship was marked by collaboration and competition with the private sector, due to limited funding and political struggles among elites.
The virtual eradication of the plague. An unsolved riddle of health progress
Both plague and smallpox used to exert a heavy death toll on society. We eradicated smallpox with a vaccine, but plague disappeared from most of human society for unknown reasons.
Sex ratios and missing girls in historical Europe
Discriminatory practices against girls reduced their survival chances during the 19th century and early 20th century, especially in Southern and Eastern Europe.
Worsening Health and Voting Patterns in Nazi Germany
Mortality increases appear to be an early-warning measure for political polarization, especially during times when people are suffering.
Industrialization, health and human welfare
Diverging trends in economic and health indicators complicate assessments of human welfare. This research applies a new metric to understand the evolution of human welfare in early-industrializing England.
Urbanisation and disease: a perspective from nineteenth-century Britain
Does rapid urbanization cause rising mortality and worsening sanitation? Nineteenth-century Britain is often used as the classic exemplar of this problem, however we find little evidence that mortality rose in English cities during the Industrial Revolution.
Anthropometric history and the measurement of wellbeing
This paper examines the contribution made by studies of the history of human height to our understanding of the history of wellbeing and highlights the continuing importance of historical studies for the present day.
