Public Health Issues in Medan at the Beginning of the 20th Century
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Keywords
Diseases, Epidemics, Public Health, Medan, Slum Settlements
Abstract
This article aims to explain the dynamics of Medan as a central city of the plantation industry and the emerging public health issues the city’s residents face. The method used in reconstructing this event is the historical method, which consists of heuristic, source criticism, interpretation, and historiography. The results of this study indicate that the growth of Medan as an economic center for plantations and the Dutch colonial government in the early 20th century impacted health problems, especially among the indigenous people living in suburban villages. The city government only focused on building infrastructure and public facilities to protect the European population from the threat of epidemics and diseases. On the other hand, infrastructure development caused densely populated and slum settlements due to urbanization. The various health problems in Medan posed threats of epidemics and high mortality rates among the population in the early 20th century.
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