Infant mortality was a sad and common occurrence in the canton of Glarus, as in the whole of Europe, from 1500 to the 20th century. Hardly any family was spared in the period before the 19th century. During this time, up to a third of all children died before the age of five. In this blog post, we shed light on the reasons for this high infant mortality rate and take a look at the development over the centuries.
A decisive factor for the low average life expectancy in earlier eras was the high infant mortality rate. For every 100 newborns in the 18th and 19th centuries, more than 20 to 25 often died in their first year of life.
One of the main reasons for the high infant mortality rate was the lack of medical care and hygiene. Medical knowledge and techniques were far less advanced in earlier centuries than they are today. Diseases such as smallpox, typhoid and tuberculosis were rampant and claimed their victims particularly among children under the age of five. There was also a lack of clean water, hygienic conditions and adequate nutrition, which made children even more susceptible to disease.
Social conditions also played a role in the high infant mortality rate. Many families lived in great poverty and could not afford adequate medical care. In addition, living conditions were often extremely harsh, with high workloads for parents and inadequate housing conditions. As a result, children were often malnourished and more susceptible to illness.
Another important factor in the high infant mortality rate was the high birth rate. In earlier centuries, people had many children because the mortality rate was high and not all children reached adulthood. This placed a great burden on parents and society as a whole, as they lost many children and had to care for those who survived.
Another reason for child mortality, albeit at a later age, was child labor. Children were employed in agriculture and industry from an early age. Hard work and long working hours put a strain on children and weakened their health.
It was not until the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century that there was a significant decline in child mortality. Infant and young child mortality was reduced in particular by a change in the mother-child relationship. Changes in breastfeeding habits (breastfeeding by the mother) and more intensive and hygienic infant care increased the life expectancy of newborns. Maternal care naturally also affected the quality of infant nutrition, as loving mothers in the 'bad old days' sought cow's milk rather than porridge for their children. It also had an impact on domestic cleanliness, as caring mothers were more likely to wash their children dry, keep the bedding clean, keep pigs away from the cradle and much more.
Advances in medicine, better hygiene and living conditions, the ban on child labor and better nutrition gradually reduced infant mortality in the canton of Glarus. Vaccinations against diseases such as measles and smallpox also helped to protect children's health and increase their chances of survival.
Statistics show that child mortality in Switzerland fell significantly from the 17th to the 20th century. In the 17th century, around 300-400 out of every 1,000 children died before the age of five. By the 20th century, this figure had fallen to 50-100 per 1,000 live births. My own analyses show an average infant mortality rate in Glarus of 7.5% for the period between 1600 and 1900, i.e. 75 per 1,000 births.