Abstract

Between 1816 and 1823, a serious plague epidemic struck a large area of the Mediterranean basin, causing the deaths of tens of thousands of people. During this severe emergency, the health offices of the main European ports put in place a control and prevention effort, with the aim of preventing, mainly through the exchange of information, the plague’s massive spread on the northern shore of the Mediterranean. This article considers the role of Magistrate of Health of Genoa in this preventive action. Analysis of documents preserved in the Archivio di Stato of Genoa cast light on the relationship between the Genoese institution and the offices of other European cities, and the modes of information gathering from plague-affected territories.