Archives of Hellenic Medicine

Last update:

03-Aug-2013

Arch Hellen Med, 30(4), July-August 2013, 480-490

HISTORY OF MEDICINE

Τhe proceedings of the Sanatorium of Parnitha as a source of data
on the medical and demographic approach to tuberculosis during the interwar period in Greece

C. Dimopoulou,¹ C. Tsiamis,² M. Mandyla -Kousouni,¹ E. Poulakou -Rebelakou,² D. Anoyatis -Pelè¹
¹Historical Demography, Faculty of History, Ionian University of Corfu, Corfu,
²Section of History of Medicine, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece

Tuberculosis in Greece during the interwar period was examined from a demographic and health perspective, based on the flow of patients in the Sanatorium of Parnitha (George Stavros and George Fuge Hospital), which served as a tuberculostatic infirmary of the Regional General Hospital "Evangelismos". Study was made of the annual publication entitled "Exposition of the Proceedings of the «Evangelismos» Infirmary, the G. Stavros and G. Fuge Hospital, and the Staff Pension Fund" for the period 1927−1939. Based on the activities of the sanatorium, the data collected covered the transfer of patients, the forms of tuberculosis, the diagnostic and therapeutic means of the time, the outcome of the patients and the duration of their hospitalization. From the records it was possible to correlate the days of hospitalization with the clinical form of tuberculosis and the type of treatment administered. The recorded data such as age, sex, marital status and occupation were examined, in an attempt to outline the demographic profile of the sanatorium patients.

Key words: Historical demography, History of Medicine, Public health, Sanatorium of Parnitha, Tuberculosis.