Water, sanitation and mortality in Swiss towns in the context of urban renewal in the late nineteenth century

Abstract

The modernisation of water supply and sanitation in Swiss towns at the end of the nineteenth century contributed to a reduction in waterborne infectious diseases such as typhoid fever. We analyse the association between mortality rates and these large-scale urban infrastructure projects in 15 major Swiss towns between 1876 and 1901. During this period, Switzerland experienced a rapid economic development and modernisation as well as rising living standards. We used panel data regression models with fixed effects to estimate the effects of the sanitary reforms. In 1876, the average typhoid fever mortality rate was 87 deaths per 100,000 people. In 1901 it had decreased to 10 deaths. We find that the introduction of modern water supply reduced typhoid fever mortality rates by 22 percent. Finally, we show that the modernisation of this central urban infrastructure was a complex, step-by-step process.