Archaeological Service of the Canton of Grisons, Chur, Switzerland.
Department of Archaeology, Office of Culture, Triesen, Principality of Liechtenstein.
PLoS One. 2019 May 8;14(5):e0216483. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0216483. eCollection 2019.
As a reaction to widespread poverty, a system of coercive welfare developed in Switzerland during the 19th century. Poverty was often thought to result from an individual's misconduct rather than from structural, economic or political circumstances. People whose lifestyle deviated from the desired norm or who were unable to make a living for themselves were subjected to so-called administrative detention at institutions such as workhouses and poorhouses. The excavation of the cemetery of the correctional facility/workhouse and asylum «Realta» in Cazis offered the opportunity to gain insight into the living conditions of a marginalized group of people and to shed light on aspects of coercive welfare that have hardly been addressed in historical studies. A comprehensive study of pathological alterations was used to assess possible physical causes and effects of administrative detention. Skeletal samples from regular contemporaneous cemeteries provided data for the general population and thus allowed us to detect peculiarities in the «Realta» assemblage. Possible cases of Stickler Syndrome, microcephaly, congenital syphilis, endemic hypothyroidism and disabilities secondary to trauma may have been the reason for the affected individuals' institutionalisation. The high prevalence of tuberculosis was linked to the socioeconomic status and the living conditions at the facility. Several cases of scurvy and osteomalacia may have resulted from various risk factors such as poverty, alcoholism, mental illness or institutionalisation. The fracture rates, especially of ribs, were extremely high. A large proportion of the fractures were incompletely healed and most likely occurred during detention due to interpersonal violence. Underlying diseases further contributed to the high fracture rates. This first study on skeletons from an institution of administrative detention in Switzerland demonstrated how pre-existing health conditions and the socioeconomic background contributed to the chance of being detained, and how detention led to further deterioration of health.
作为对普遍贫困的一种反应，19 世纪瑞士发展出了一种强制福利制度。贫困往往被认为是个人行为不当的结果，而不是结构性、经济或政治环境的结果。那些生活方式偏离理想规范或无法自食其力的人，将被送到济贫院和收容所等机构接受所谓的行政拘留。在卡齐斯的“矫正设施/济贫院和收容所”的墓地挖掘，为深入了解边缘化群体的生活状况提供了机会，并揭示了历史研究几乎没有涉及到的强制福利的一些方面。对病理改变的综合研究，用于评估行政拘留可能导致的身体原因和后果。从同期常规墓地采集的骨骼样本为一般人群提供了数据，从而使我们能够发现“Realta”组合中的特点。可能患有斯提克勒综合征、小头畸形、先天性梅毒、地方性甲状腺功能减退症和创伤性残疾的病例，可能是这些人被收容的原因。结核病的高发率与该机构的社会经济地位和生活条件有关。坏血病和骨软化症的几个病例可能是由于贫困、酗酒、精神疾病或收容等各种风险因素造成的。骨折率，尤其是肋骨骨折率极高。很大一部分骨折未完全愈合，最有可能是在拘留期间因人际暴力而发生的。潜在疾病进一步导致了高骨折率。这是对瑞士一家行政拘留机构骨骼的首次研究，表明了先前存在的健康状况和社会经济背景如何增加了被拘留的机会，以及拘留如何导致健康状况进一步恶化。
