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Did smallpox cause stillbirths? Maternal smallpox infection, vaccination and stillbirths in Sweden, 1780-1839

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  • Schneider, Eric B.
  • Edvinsson, Sören
  • Ogasawara, Kota

Abstract

While there is strong evidence that maternal smallpox infection can cause foetal loss, it is not clear whether smallpox infections were a demographically important cause of stillbirths historically. In this paper, we use parish-level data from the Swedish Tabellverket data set for 1780–1839 to test the effect of smallpox on stillbirths quantitatively, analysing periods before and after the introduction of vaccination in 1802. We find that smallpox infection was not a major cause of stillbirths before 1820, because most women contracted smallpox as children and were therefore not susceptible during pregnancy. We do find a small, statistically significant effect of smallpox on stillbirths from 1820 to 1839, when waning immunity from vaccination put a greater share of pregnant women at risk of contracting smallpox. However, the reduced prevalence of smallpox in this period limited its impact on stillbirths. Thus, smallpox was not an important driver of historical stillbirth trends.

Suggested Citation

  • Schneider, Eric B. & Edvinsson, Sören & Ogasawara, Kota, 2023. "Did smallpox cause stillbirths? Maternal smallpox infection, vaccination and stillbirths in Sweden, 1780-1839," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 117587, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    • Handle: RePEc:ehl:lserod:117587
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Philipp Ager & Casper Worm Hansen & Peter Sandholt Jensen, 2018. "Fertility and Early-Life Mortality: Evidence from Smallpox Vaccination in Sweden," Journal of the European Economic Association, European Economic Association, vol. 16(2), pages 487-521.
    2. Romola J. Davenport & Jeremy Boulton & Leonard Schwarz, 2016. "Urban inoculation and the decline of smallpox mortality in eighteenth-century cities—a reply to Razzell," Economic History Review, Economic History Society, vol. 69(1), pages 188-214, February.
    3. Jonas Helgertz & Tommy Bengtsson, 2019. "The Long-Lasting Influenza: The Impact of Fetal Stress During the 1918 Influenza Pandemic on Socioeconomic Attainment and Health in Sweden, 1968–2012," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 56(4), pages 1389-1425, August.
    4. Brian Beach & Ryan Brown & Joseph Ferrie & Martin Saavedra & Duncan Thomas, 2022. "Reevaluating the Long-Term Impact of In Utero Exposure to the 1918 Influenza Pandemic," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 130(7), pages 1963-1990.
    5. Tommy Bengtsson, 1999. "The Vulnerable Child. Economic Insecurity and Child Mortality in Pre-Industrial Sweden: A Case Study of Västanfors, 1757--1850," European Journal of Population, Springer;European Association for Population Studies, vol. 15(2), pages 117-151, June.
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    stillbirth; fetal death; smallpox; vaccination; historical demography; foetal death;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J13 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Fertility; Family Planning; Child Care; Children; Youth

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