Cholera in the Portuguese Region of Alto Minho in the Second Half of the Nineteenth Century: Epidemic Outbreaks, Treatment and Behaviours

The aim of our work is to analyse the impact of cholera outbreaks that took place in Alto Minho, a region in the North of Portugal, in a century in which, due to several developments, distances became shorter and people from different parts of the globe became closer, and thus explaining the spreading of a disease that manifests itself quickly and evolves rapidly. We also intend to evaluate the effect of the measures undertaken by administrative and sanitary authorities and to verify the alterations in the daily life of the affected communities as far as economic activities, organization, cleanness and hygiene in the public venue are concerned, emphasizing on the temporary suspension of the relations with the neighbouring region of Galiza equally affected by numerous cholera outbreaks.