Assessing the Impact: Mortality from Infectious Disease in Trnava (1911–1941) Through a Medical Geography Lens

This study examines mortality from infectious diseases in the Municipality of Trnava between 1911 and 1941. Conducted at the Historical Archive in Kraljevo (Serbia), the research employs historical-demographic, medical-geographic, and demographic-statistical methods. The Municipality of Trnava existed from 1839 to 1945 and encompassed six villages situated between the southeastern slopes of Golija and the Raska River valley. Analyzing the determinants of health, the population in the early decades of the 20th century faced significant challenges, including poverty, unsanitary living conditions, limited access to education, and high illiteracy rates. These adverse conditions were exacerbated by the wartime environment from 1912 to 1918, which further deteriorated living standards. The concentration of a large population in restricted areas accelerated the rapid spread of infectious diseases. The typhus epidemic in early 1915 and the Spanish flu pandemic at the end of World War I led to substantial mortality in the municipality. Local epidemics of scarlet fever, diphtheria, dysentery, and smallpox also affected mortality. This study enhances our understanding of the historical dynamics of infectious disease mortality, highlighting the interplay between environmental, geopolitical, and socio-economic determinants of health in comparable contemporary contexts.