Italian public health documents declaring ships and goods to be disease-free, 1630-1818

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Summary

Abstract:
Fourteen single-sheet printed documents issued by officials in northern Italian ports or inland trade centers, declaring that ships, cargoes, and crews have been inspected and are free of contagion, chiefly meaning bubonic plague. Cities include Venice, Brindisi, Milano, Piacenza, Ravenna, Reggio, San Giovanni in Persiceto, and Trieste. Almost all bear small woodcuts chiefly of patron saints and coats of arms, and official seals and stamps. Handwritten annotations include dates, itineraries, and, in the case of maritime shipping, the names of ships and owners. Some note the type of cargo and a few list the names of crew members, with age, stature, and other details. Most are in Italian but several also include some Latin. Forms part of the History of Medicine Collections at Duke University.
Extent:
14 items (2 boxes)
Language:
Materials are in chiefly in Italian, with a few in Latin.
Collection ID:
RL.11337

Background

Scope and content:

Fourteen single-sheet printed documents, issued from 1630 to 1818 by officials in northern Italian ports or inland trade centers, declaring that ships, cargo, and crews have been inspected and are free of contagion, chiefly meaning plague. Most are in Italian, but several also include some Latin.

Nine of these bills of health originated in Venice, with others from Brindisi, Guastalla, Milano, Piacenza, Ravenna, Reggio, San Giovanni in Persiceto, Segna, San Martino, and Trieste. They range in size from 6 x 8 1/4 to 12 x 16 1/2 inches. Almost all bear one or more small woodcuts such as patron saints and coats of arms; blindstamps and seals are also often present.

Typical handwritten content on the front and sometimes back of the sheet gives the name of the ship's owner and his ship, the ship's itinerary, number of containers ("Colli"), and type of cargo. A few of the documents also include lists of crew members, with names, ages, and stature. A few terms of interest that appear include "lazzeretto," indicating a place of quarantine, and "epizootico," a medical term for a non-human epidemic or agent. Forms part of the History of Medicine Collections at Duke University.

Biographical / historical:

The cities issuing these clean bills of health are located in northern Italy; about half are port cities on the Adriatic; the other half are in central Italy and relate to overland trade rather than maritime shipping. The cities were part of a large network of European trade centers combating the spread of bubonic plague, cholera and other diseases through the inspection and quarantining of ships and overland cargo.

Clusters of dates found in this collection - 1629-1636, 1720-1730, 1775-1778, 1800-1803, and 1816-1818 - are linked to outbreaks of plague, cholera, and typhus in northern Europe.

The woodcut illustrations, mottos, and other elements on the document refer to the city's region and its ruling authorities, among which, various noble families, the Papal States, and the Napoleonic Cisalpine Republic.

Acquisition information:
The Italian public health documents declaring ships and goods to be disease-free were received by the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book Manuscript Library as a purchase in 2016.
Processing information:

Processed and encoded by Paula Jeannet, November 2016. Accession(s) represented in this finding aid: 2016-0227.

Arrangement:

Arranged by date.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Contents

Using These Materials

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Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

Terms of access:

The copyright interests in this collection have not been transferred to Duke University. For more information, consult the copyright section of the Regulations and Procedures of the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library.

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Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Italian public health documents declaring ships and goods to be disease-free, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University.