Abstract

MARQUEZ MORFIN, Lourdes  and  SOSA MARQUEZ, María Viridiana. Child Mortality and Congenital Syphilis in Mexico City in 1915. Estud. demogr. urbanos [online]. 2016, vol.31, n.1, pp.177-206. ISSN 2448-6515.

In this study, we focus on the estimation of infant mortality and the analysis of the cause of death related to congenital syphilis in Mexico City in 1915. The sources of information used are the vital statistics of deaths for that year, which contain information by age, sex and cause of death. At the same time, in order to corroborate the presence of congenital syphilis centuries ago, we describe the results of the osteopathological analysis of a series of 199 skeletons of children of various ages, including fetuses, recovered during the archaeological excavations of the Convent of Santa Isabel in Mexico City, which reveal the presence of this disease in the population in the 19th century. These two sources of information contribute to the study of infant mortality and children at two moments (19th and early 20th century) and provide information on frequency by age and sex. In particular, we are interested in the case of congenital syphilis as a cause of death recorded by doctors, since it has allowed us to identify this disease as a common public health problem. The results reveal a high mortality from this cause during the first year of life and up to the age of five, with differences by sex and age.

Keywords : infant mortality; congenital syphilis; Mexico City.