«Salus Populi Suprema Lex Esto»: Faith, Science And Politics In The Modernization Of Funerary Practices (18th-19th Centuries)

Abstract

In late-18th century Spain, enlightened politicians began to use
the hygienist theories spread among European physicians in
order to start a reform program aimed at improving the living
standard of society. Among their main worries there was
minimizing the risk factors for health, and thus they tried to
eradicate the habit of burying the corpses within churches,
imposing the erection of cemeteries outside urban perimeter
instead. In this article we tackle the tortuous path which led
to implanting these funerary practices according to hygienist
criteria, focusing on the resistances as a way to research the
shaping of modern society. For this purpose we analyze Monlau’s
Elementos de Higiene Pública (1847) and the sanitary legislation
on cemeteries promulgated in Spain throughout the
long 19th century (1787-1892).

Keywords: hygienism, cemeteries, sanitary legislation, 19th
century, Spain.