Legal Definitions - bill of mortality

Bill of Mortality

A "bill of mortality" was a historical document, essentially a public record, detailing the number of deaths that occurred within a specific geographical area during a particular time period. These records were primarily used in England from the late 16th to the 19th century to monitor public health, especially during outbreaks of contagious diseases like the plague.

• Example 1: Monitoring a Plague Outbreak

  Imagine a parish in 17th-century London during a severe plague epidemic. Each week, local officials would compile a bill of mortality for that parish, listing the total number of deaths reported. A sharp increase in the weekly death count on this bill would immediately signal the escalating severity and spread of the plague within that specific neighborhood, prompting potential quarantine measures or public health warnings.

• Example 2: Tracking Long-Term Health Trends

  A city council in 18th-century Bristol might review annual bills of mortality compiled over several decades. By comparing these records, they could observe long-term trends, such as a gradual decrease in overall death rates following improvements in sanitation and water supply, or identify periods of unusually high mortality caused by factors like severe winters or food shortages, even if not directly related to infectious disease outbreaks.

• Example 3: Early Epidemiological Insights

  Consider a local medical practitioner in a rural English town in the early 19th century. If the weekly bill of mortality for their district not only listed the number of deaths but also included a rudimentary cause of death (e.g., "fever," "consumption," "childbed"), this information, though not scientifically precise, offered early insights into the prevalent health challenges facing the community, allowing them to understand which illnesses were most fatal at a given time.