The world is full of sorrow:

Abstract

This article examines infant mortality in two Stockholm parishes, Storkyrkan and Katetine, in the period 1754–1850. The infant mortality rate (IMR) for different groups (linked to sex and marital status) is analysed as well as seasonal influences on the mortality, the causes of death and the exact age of the infant. During this period Stockholm stagnated both economically and demographically. Even so, some features in the pattern of infant mortality point to the fact that the treatment of infants varied between the different social classes and changed over time. It is considered that a likely explanation for these changes would include the availability of literature concerning infant care initiated by the state, changes in the literacy rate and changing attitudes towards life and death.