QUIROGA: a MEXICAN MUNICIPIO — BRAIO) 



75 



thousand. Apparently, Quiroga is a typical com- 

 munity insofar as death rate is concerned. 



CAUSES OF DEATH 



During the entire colonial period we have no 

 specific mention of mortality in Quiroga. How- 

 ever, the fact that Quiroga was involved in at 

 least two congregations (ca. 1534 and 1603), and 

 its location in the P^tzcuaro Basin, would justify 

 the conclusion that the various pests, plagues, and 

 epidemic diseases mentioned by the chroniclers 

 for Michoacdn played their part in Quiroga. The 

 Mexicano terms cocoliztle and matlazahuatl ap- 

 parently were used by the chroniclers for lethal 

 epidemics in general and for certain specific 

 diseases, such as smallpo.x:, typhus, typhoid, and 

 possibly yellow fever and cholera. Under the 

 above Mexicano terms, the Tarascan teresequa (an 

 "issue of putrid blood"), and the general terms 

 pesfe (pest) , jjlaga (plague), and enfermidad general 

 (epidemic), Michoacan was scourged on many 

 occasions during the colonial period. Especially 

 severe were the plagues of 1536-37, 1544-46, 

 1554-55, 1563-64, 1576-78, 1588, 1643, 1735-37, 

 1749-50, 1761-62, 1779, and 1813-14. The Pdtz- 

 cuaro Basin suffered most in 1545 (smallpox and 

 possibly an unknowTi disease, which were credited 

 with killing one-half to five-sixths of the popula- 

 tion of Michoacan), 1563-64 (measles and another 

 disease), 1576-77, and 1643. Smallpox, by itself 

 or in conjunction with unidentified diseases, 

 ravaged periodically from 1520 into this century. 

 The worst smallpox epidemics were in 1520-21, 

 1532, 1538, 1545, 1559, 1576, 1579, 1592, and 

 thereafter about every "12 or 18 years." Measles 

 was a lethal epidemic during most of the colonial 

 period and into the present century. The worst 

 measles epidemics in Michoacdn were in 1563, 

 1595, and 1821. Also operating were famine 

 years produced by crop failures, especially in 

 1692-96, 1749-50, and 1783-86. Although intro- 

 duced diseases and famine took the greatest toll, 

 there was an increase in mortahty due to Spanish- 

 introduced changes in clothing, diet, and working 

 conditions. During the colonial centuries a cer- 

 tain amount of immunity became established in 

 the population, but smallpox continued to ravage 

 even though vaccination was introduced into 

 Michoacdn as early as 1829, and inoculation had 

 been attempted toward the end of the eighteenth 

 century. 



The history of diseases in Michoacdn from 1821 

 into the 1860's is quite incomplete. However, 

 notable years and epidemics were: 1833-36 (especi- 

 ally 1836) and 1850-54 (especially 1850) for 

 cholera; 1839-40, 1858, and 1869-70, smallpox; 

 1836-40 scarlet fever; 1860 typhus and possibly 

 yeUow fever; 1862 and 1865 typhoid; and typhus 

 again in 1863 and 1869. Civil wars and the move- 

 ment of troops during the French Intervention 

 undoubtedly made the 1830's, 1850's, and 1860's 

 especially bad. 



For the period of record, 1860 to date, we made 

 a samphng of the years 1860-64, 1867-68, 1873-80, 

 1882-84, 1897-99, 1904-10, and 1937-45. No 

 causes of death were indicated for the years 

 1860-62, and only a few (35 out of 515 deaths) in 

 the years 1863-64 and 1867-68. Some time be- 

 tween 1869 and 1873 began the indication of 

 causes for practically all deaths, since such data 

 are available for 1873 and thereafter. However, 

 very few deaths were accompanied by a physi- 

 cian's certificate of cause of death mitil after 1936, 

 although medical terminology begins to appear in 

 the records as early as 1878. From 1878 until 

 about 1914 Quiroga had from one to three resident 

 doctors, and their fine hand can be seen in the 

 introduction of such terms as tosferina (whoopino- 

 cough) instead of sunple tos in 1878, peritonitis 

 and enterocolitis introduced in 1883, anemia 

 cerebral and ureto vaginitis introduced in 1884, 

 and others in increasing numbers in later years. 

 From some time dining the revolution (ca. 1915) 

 until 1936 there were no resident doctors in 

 Quiroga, excepting two in 1925-27, and an occa- 

 sional pharmacist sin titulo (unlicensed or without 

 diploma) who would sell patent medicines and 

 other drugs and provide "practical" information 

 and suggestions. Consequently most of the 

 causes of death entered from 1873 until 1937 

 represent the terminology and knowledge of folk 

 or home medicine. A few causes of death can be 

 accepted without question, such as viruelas (small- 

 pox), saram-pion (measles), and the various forms 

 of violent death (knife woimds, bullet, lightning, 

 etc.). A larger number of deaths can be placed 

 in fairly certain groups; e. g.,fiebre or fever most 

 commonly was typhoid or paratyphoid fever or 

 typhus, calenturas and frios and intermittent 

 fevers usually were forms of malaria, etica or 

 edica and tisis or ticis were respectively infantile 

 and adult tuberculosis, bilis or mlis was an infec- 



