On Paludism/Malaria and Other Intermittent, Tertian and Quartan Fevers in France from the XVIIIth to the XXth Century

Abstract

This article aims at bringing an update on paludism and intermittent fevers which plagued France until the end of the XIXth century. Relying on present day medical data, an attempt at interpreting demographical data is presented in order to draw a social and physical geography of paludism and intermittent fevers in XVIIIth and XIXth century France. A history of paludism over two centuries is also sketched. It allows the observation of fever fluctuations, dependent on political events or economic activities of the time.