Medical Topographies in Nineteenth Century Bavaria

Abstract

In April 1858 the Ministry of Interior in Bavaria, the third largest state of the German Confederation after Prussia and Austria, commissioned a medical topography of the kingdom. The aim was to produce, on a uniform basis, an accurate picture of medical provision across the state and to survey some of the features considered of particular relevance to health. Responsibility for undertaking this survey was assigned to the 284 stateappointed district doctors (Gerichtsiirzte), who supervised the medical administration of every urban (Stadtgericht) and rural (Landgericht) district in Bavaria, and each of the topographies (Physikatsberiehte) was to be completed according to a standardised format. Physicians were required to report first on the physical geography of their district, its climate and the predominant types of cultivation to be found there. They were also to include details concerning the sowing and harvest times of the principal crops as well as a catalogue of those naturally occurring products, such as natural spring waters, minerals or flora, deemed to be of medical significance. In accordance with the prevailing Hippocratic influence of the time, particular emphasis was placed on features such as the prevailing winds, the extent of climatic fluctuations and the amount of low-lying or marshy ground.