8282294 What paleoepidemiology can offer to the study of occupational and environmental diseases

<h3>Objective</h3> To explore how paleoepidemiological approaches – defined as the use of historical sources and early medical statistics to investigate patterns of health and disease in past populations – can provide insights into the relationship between work, environment, and health, using historical mortality data from early 1800s Milan as a case study. <h3>Material and Methods</h3> This contribution revisits the pioneering work of Giuseppe Ferrario (1802–1870), founder of the ‘Accademia Fisio-Medica-Statistica di Milano’ and an early advocate of using parish death registers—including occupation—to study population health. Drawing on Ferrario’s methodology, a recent paleoepidemiological investigation analyzed more than 18,000 death records from Milan (1816–1822), coding age, sex, causes of death, and occupational status. This allowed us to examine the occupational and environmental determinants of mortality in an early 19th-century urban context. <h3>Results</h3> Preliminary findings confirm a strong correlation between certain occupations and specific causes of death. Among seamstresses, for example, 30% of deaths were attributed to tuberculosis, as compared to 22% among the other workers (p-value &lt; .001). This pattern appears linked to confined working conditions. Other occupational clusters—such as artisans, innkeepers, and healthcare professionals—displayed recognizable mortality patterns. The analysis also revealed seasonal peaks in mortality, particularly during winter months, suggesting the interaction of occupational exposure with climatic factors. The availability of meteorological and economic variables further enabled an ecological analysis of health risks. <h3>Conclusion</h3> Paleoepidemiology offers a powerful lens to investigate occupational and environmental health in historical contexts, revealing patterns that remain relevant for contemporary research. By recovering and analyzing forgotten or underused data sources, it strengthens our ability to trace the long-term impact of work and environment on health – especially where modern records are lacking. The work of Giuseppe Ferrario exemplifies how early epidemiological practices can inform today’s efforts to understand and prevent occupational disease.