Assessing the Impact Mortality from is the central topic of this scientific publication.
Abstract
This study examines mortality from infectious diseases in the Municipality of Trnava between 1911 and 1941. Conducted at the Historical Archive in Kraljevo (Serbia), the research employs historical-demographic, medical-geographic, and demographic-statistical methods. The Municipality of Trnava existed from 1839 to 1945 and encompassed six villages situated between the southeastern slopes of Golija and the Raska River valley. Analyzing the determinants of health, the population in the early decades of the 20th century faced significant challenges, including poverty, unsanitary living conditions, limited access to education, and high illiteracy rates. These adverse conditions were exacerbated by the wartime environment from 1912 to 1918, which further deteriorated living standards. The concentration of a large population in restricted areas accelerated the rapid spread of infectious diseases. The typhus epidemic in early 1915 and the Spanish flu pandemic at the end of World War I led to substantial mortality in the municipality. Local epidemics of scarlet fever, diphtheria, dysentery, and smallpox also affected mortality. This study enhances our understanding of the historical dynamics of infectious disease mortality, highlighting the interplay between environmental, geopolitical, and socio-economic determinants of health in comparable contemporary contexts.
Conclusions
The demographic and epidemiological transition of the municipality of Trnava between 1910 and 1941 reveals a population profoundly shaped by war, epidemics, and harsh socio-economic conditions. Mortality crises during the Balkan Wars, World War I, and interwar epidemics further disrupted the biological and social structure of the population, particularly through disproportionately high losses among males who participated in the military and children and young people under 19 years old.
Infectious diseases, especially the Spanish influenza pandemic, typhus, diphtheria, scarlet fever, and tuberculosis, accounted for more than 40% of all deaths in the study time frame. The typhus epidemic of 1915 and the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918–1920 stand out as the deadliest events, highlighting the weakness of public health in a setting with no local medical infrastructure and weak preventive measures. Local epidemics such as scarlet fever and dysentery also contributed to persistently high child mortality.
The analysis of mortality due to infectious diseases in the Trnava municipality illustrates how demographic and health outcomes in small rural areas were not only determined by natural growth and migration but also deeply impacted by wars, epidemic outbreaks, socio-economic inequality, as well as cultural practices. The experience of Trnava reflects broader patterns of demographic instability in early 20th-century Serbia and highlights the critical role of healthcare modernization, nutrition, and hygiene in shaping public health resilience.
How to cite
Premović, P., Arsenović, D., Pavić, D., Cvetković, V. M., & Lukić, T. (2025). Assessing the Impact: Mortality from Infectious Disease in Trnava (1911 – 1941) through a Medical Geography Lens. International Journal of Disaster Risk Management, 7(2), 33-50. https://doi.org/10.18485/ijdrm.2025.7.2.3
