SREDNJOVJEKOVNI ŠIBENSKI STATUT I BRIGA ZA PROBLEME ZDRAVSTVENE KULTURE

Abstract

The Code of Šibenik dates back to the 13th century and is impressive inasmuch as it pays a lot of attention to health culture issues. It brings a number of hygienic and sanitary measures such as the ban to keep pigs in the town, to throw “filth and decay” on public roads, to unload and sell fish in places not intended for selling, to display and sell meat outside butcheries, to skin animals outside butcheries, to sell carrion meat, and the order to bakers to bake bread thoroughly. It pays particular attention to public bodies of water such as ponds and to watersupply, and the town subsidised half the welling costs. In respect to general health protection, the Code banned corpse kissing to prevent infections, and graves were removed from the town centre for the same reason (because they “stank”). The “insane” and “simple minded” could not close legal deals. The fact that the town employed a trained physician - medicus - (in addition to a barber) suggests that it was the physician’s job to decide who of the townspeople belonged to the category of the mentally challenged.

Key words: history of medicine and law, 13th century, town code, Šibenik, Croatia