8.3.3 Health and Mortality

There is a need for far more research into patterns of health and mortality in Perth and Kinross during the 17th and 18th centuries. Several periods of famine affected 17th-century Scotland, with the last major famine in Perth and Kinross taking place in the 1690s. There has been some desk-based study of how the ‘ill years’ of the 1690s affected the region (Cullen et al 2006). However, it would be interesting to see the extent to which this period of hardship can be discerned in the archaeological record, both through the analysis of human remains and the study of the landscape. The impact of the agricultural and tenurial changes of the 18th century on health and mortality also deserves more attention. It is likely that for some sections of society, this period saw an improvement in living standards, partly as a result of growing agricultural productivity and access to consumer goods. Yet for tenants who were displaced from the land, this may well have been a time when obtaining basic necessities became more difficult.

Written records provide invaluable insights into general demographic trends in 18th and 19th -century Perth and Kinross. In particular, the burgh of Perth is fortunate in having local censuses for 1766 and 1773 (Whatley 2011, 42–4). The Statistical Accounts also provide information regarding population and common diseases in specific parishes during the late 18th and early 19th centuries, and more systematic analysis of this data could be helpful. Comparison of the relative health and life expectancy of different communities in the region, including upland and lowland populations, and rural and urban settlements would be of particular interest.

Although written sources are likely to play a major role in our understanding of post-medieval health and mortality, archaeological techniques can still provide valuable insights. Recent scientific study of human remains from London has shown how stable isotope and microdebris analysis can enhance understanding of post-medieval diets and nutrition. In particular the greater range of surviving human tissues, such as hair, which are sometimes present in post-medieval burials make possible types of analysis that would be less viable with most older remains. These enable ‘the investigation of diet over both short and long timescales’ (Brown and Alexander 2016; Bleasdale et al 2019).

While there are significant ethical considerations surrounding the excavation of any human remains, there are perhaps particular sensitivities concerning post-medieval burials, given the greater likelihood that modern communities will have familial connections to the graves disturbed. Purely research-driven interventions in post-medieval graveyards may not be appropriate. However, when development necessitates the disruption of post-medieval burial grounds, it would be desirable for there to be detailed scientific study of surviving human remains, enabling researchers to build up an overview of the health, nutrition and (often) geographic origins of the post-medieval residents of Perth and Kinross. Further discussion of how such research may best be accomplished given the constraints of time, funding and ethics should be a priority.

Of course, buildings, both standing and demolished, also play a role in our understanding of changing experiences of health and mortality. During the post-medieval period, healthcare was increasingly provided by institutions. The 19th and early 20th centuries in particular saw an expansion in hospitals, nursing homes and asylums. Many of these buildings have since been demolished or converted to other purposes, with major changes to several sites taking place during the 21st century. A recent national gazetteer of hospital sites provides an introduction to a number of these locations. However, further interdisciplinary research into the evolution of hospitals in the region would be desirable. Whilst written records are likely to play a major role in any such study, physical evidence, particularly standing buildings, may reveal overlooked aspects of the story of healthcare in Perth and Kinross. Healthcare sites can also intersect with archaeology in other ways. The Murray Royal Asylum, Perth was quite advanced in some of its treatment for mental health, and encouraged patients to engage with archaeology and collections. Indeed, for a while, it had its own museum including archaeological materials.

Study of smaller sites associated with healthcare, such as pharmacies and doctors’ surgeries, would likewise be of interest. There are extensive written records concerning 18th- and 19th-century apothecaries in the burgh of Perth. These include documentation about the theft of the body of a woman named Anne Asplen by a group of surgeons and apothecaries in the 1720s (Perth and Kinross Archive B59/26/11/1/2/13). A project mapping the location of post-medieval apothecaries and pharmacies in Perth and Kinross might be of interest. Excavations in other parts of Britain have shown the possibilities of physical investigation of former apothecary sites, with even 17th-century apothecaries’ shops providing significant artefacts associated with healthcare (Watson 2015).

Research Priorities

Research Questions