The city and the death: yellow fever and its impact on funeral customs in Rio de Janeiro (1849-50)

Abstract

During the summer of 1849-50, a yellow fever epidemic hit the city of Rio de Janeeiro. In analyzing the epidemic's impact on local funeral customs, the article asked to what extent the subsequent high mortality rate was a catalyst that changed people's attitudes towards death and the deceased. The central hypothesis is that the epidemic was the final argument physicians needed to convince the imperial government and the population to implement these doctors' project, one which would medicalize death and standardize funeral customs.