Trachoma, health conditions ans social change in Sardiniia

This chapter considers health conditions among the Sardinian rural population from the time of National Unification in 1861 through the first half of the twentieth century, focusing upon trachoma, a disease strongly conditioned by environmental, sanitary and socio-economic factors. It concentrates on two specific communities: the town of Alghero, along the north western coast, and the villages of Talana and Urzulei, situated in the central-eastern region of the island called Ogliastra. Alghero was a semi-rural small town and Talana and Urzulei were remote, tiny rural villages. We examine the fight against trachoma in these different contexts, taking into account also related developments in the urban provincial capital. We outline the widespread trachoma prevalence in different areas of Sardinia noting urban and rural differentials in its eventual eradication. We address the interplay of legislation, its implementation moving from urban to rural areas, the role of education and of improving social and environmental conditions in overcoming this disease.