Citation

Nante N, Azzolini E, Troiano G, Serafini A, Gentile A, Messina G. Ann. Ig. 2016; 28(1): 70-75.

Affiliation

Research Professor, Department of Molecular and Developmental Medicine, Post Graduate School of Public Health, University of Siena, Italy.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2016, Societa Editrice Universo)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

26980511

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Ex voto is a donation for a divinity, a Saint or to Virgin Mary for a received mercy. From the analysis of an ex voto it's possible to obtain lots of information and therefore it can be used as a tool for health and epidemiological surveillance, to study morbidity in the past. The aim of this study was the creation of a database to rebuild epidemiological events and diseases, using ex voto as a source of health surveillance.

METHODS: We chose to study votive pictures using three types of sources: photographed alive, on-line archives, books and photographic collections. Ex voto have been saved in an Hard Disk, numbered and inserted in a database, then analyzed using Stata®.

RESULTS: total of 6231 ex voto were collected and catalogued in our database. Ex voto referring to diseases are the most represented (41%), but they have decreased with the time. Road accidents (21.4%) have a constant increase, especially with the appearance of cars and motorcycles. Aggressions (5.45%) decrease constantly; warlike accidents (4.44%) had a peak in the period including both world wars; non professional accidents (10.60%) and accidents at work (3.79%) increase without peaks; maritime accidents (8.88%) have not uniform ups and downs during the time.

CONCLUSIONS: The database let us rebuild epidemiological events of the past, which are not deductible from other sources. Our purpose is to expand in the space-time our source data in order to perform an interesting comparison between past and present.

Language: en