Abstract
In this study the authors attempt to elucidate regional disparities within the territory of the for-mer Austro-Hungarian Empire in the latter half of the 19th century, particularly in reference to the hea-lth conditions of the population. Variables such as mortality rates have previously been analyzed in geo-graphical studies and their significance as social indicators discussed. However, the number of such pa-pers is limited, because often relevant additional data on health are not available for spatial analysis.
This study analyzes health data from military conscription records published in Military Statistical Yearbooks (Militarstatistische Jahrbücher) of the empire. Some advantages of such data for analysis can be pointed out: 1) they reflect the general health conditions of the population, listing diseases and disorders as reasons for excluding recruits from military service in each military district (Militar-bezirk); and 2) the quality of the data is comparatively homogeneous for the vast territory of the em-pire and allows the analysis of regional disparities in a large area of Central Europe which today con-sists of several countries. During the 19th century, drastic changes occurred in Europe's regional struc-ture, which makes the analysis of their impact on health conditions a relevant topic.
To determine regional disparities, specific diseases and disorders of military recruits were selected: weakness of the body and short physical stature (less than 155 cm) were chosen to reflect general health conditions; and goiter, cretinism, and dental disorders to reflect specific diseases.
These diseases and disorders show regional differences. There is an east-west gradient as well as a town-country gradient in the empire. The regional structure can be explained as a system which con-sists of relations between socioeconomic and political elements that affect health conditions. In this regard, health conditions should be one of the aspects utilized to grasp regional structures.
This article concludes with a reference to regional disparities in Europe. The east-west gradient in the Austro-Hungarian Empire can be viewed as an aspect of the central-periphery pattern in Europe. In these terms, the empire can serve as a keyhole through which the regional disparities within Europe can be perceived.
