Faulige Kartoffeln, gepanschter Wein und tödliche Luft: Die Bekämpfung von Unglücksfällen durch die Brandenburger Medizinalpolizei im 19. Jahrhundert

The public health administration in Prussia was not only concerned with diseases. Using the examples of Brandenburg and Berlin, this paper shows various situations in which local and regional officials and authorities (‘medical police’) reacted to dangerous situations in order to maintain the health of the inhabitants and prevent injuries or even deaths. The paper focuses on case studies from the first half of the 19th century in which specific accidents prompted the medical police to take action: What did they do to prevent children from eating poisonous plants while playing? What happened when traders were suspected of selling wine that was harmful to health? How could entire villages be prevented from perishing as a result of a spoilt potato harvest? In addition to the case studies, the regionally applicable ordinances, which were mainly printed in the official gazettes of the Potsdam government ('Amtsblätter'), provide answers.

XV, 337 pages

Permalinks 
URN: urn:nbn:de:hbz:6-82948544801
DOI: 10.17879/82948544213

ISBN
978-3-8405-0306-1

Language
German