S.O.S. Antwerpen (S.O.S. Antwerp)
Did you know that the average life expectancy in Belgium in 1830 was 40 years? In 1950 that increased to 67 years, and now it is even 80 years! In 1830 there were many deaths from infectious diseases such as smallpox, cholera and tuberculosis. Today these are much less common, with the majority of deaths caused by age-related diseases such as cardiovascular disease and cancer. S.O.S. Antwerp (Social Inequality in Mortality) analyses the causes of death of Antwerp residents and maps out diseases, causes of death and social inequality.
In Antwerp, between 1820 and 1946 it was carefully noted who died, when and from which causes of death in a death register. This document offers a unique perspective on diseases, social inequality and causes of death in Antwerp during this long period. This allows researchers to find out which socio-economic classes were more sensitive to certain diseases or more often killed by war or violence.
The death registry was carefully scanned and posted online. The citizen scientists study the source via the online platform (Velehanden.nl) and convert the handwritten texts from the register into easily searchable data.
