[Ideas and projects for Napoleonic Naples burial reform]

Area of Science:

• History of Medicine
• Urban Planning History
• Public Health Policy

Context:

• 18th-century European discourse on public health and sanitation.
• Napoleonic administrative reforms in Naples.
• Societal shifts regarding death and burial practices.

Purpose:

• To detail Napoleonic-era attempts at reforming Naples' urban burial system.
• To analyze the medical theories underpinning new cemetery designs.
• To identify key individuals, particularly technicians, involved in the reform process.

Summary:

• Examines Napoleonic administrators' efforts to reform Naples' urban burial system.
• Focuses on the medical theories guiding new cemetery projects and the technicians involved.
• Explores the 18th-century European origins of burial reform and its codification under Napoleonic law, highlighting the compromise between tradition and hygiene.

Impact:

• Informed urban planning by integrating public health principles into cemetery design.
• Established a precedent for modern sanitation laws and urban management.
• Demonstrates the complex interplay between scientific advancement, administrative policy, and societal norms.