Benedek Csaba – H. Bathó Edit – Gulyás Katalin – Horváth László – Kaposvári Gyöngyi szerk.: Tisicum - A Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok Megyei Múzeumok Évkönyve 14. (2004)
Sexual Ethics and Statistics
GÁBOR BAGI SEXUAL ETHICS AND STATISTICS DATA AND THE QUESTION OF MEASURABILITY IN JÁSZKUNSÁG BETWEEN 1790 AND 1848 In western civilisation, the concept of eroticism is strongly attached to the categories of sex, sexual libertinage and misdeeds. Analysing the archives of Jászkunság, the author attempts to collect data related to the topic. The ratio of sexual offences, their variations in front of municipality authorities, the number of illegitimate children in a given area, the spread of sexual diseases and prostitution served as statistical basis. The main problems were the lack of reliable data and the variations of point of view in certain cases. Looking at Jászkunság as a whole, between 1797 and 1802 sexual offences made up 12% of all criminal suits. 46% of these occurred in Kiskunság, 37% in Jászság and only 17%) in Nagykunság. By 1845, the number of sexual diseases had decreased, and the characteristics of their regional distribution had become stronger. While Jászság was characterised by the average of the whole area, the data in Kiskunság showed higher, and the ones in Nagykunság way lower than the average. It is possible that after 1780 the variations of the gradually modernising legal and judiciary practice played a role in the findings. Analysing the number of illegitimate children, it becomes apparent that in the first half of the 19 th century the vast majority of them were born in Kiskunság, whose population was religiously mixed, and especially in large Protestant settlements like Halas and Kunszentmiklós. In this respect, the Roman Catholic Jászság was exceeded by Nagykunság. As for sexual diseases and their transmitters, most data come from Kiskunság, which was situated near the main lines of communication and military roads. A considerable amount of free people came from other municipalities and moved along with military troops. The rest of them were local people, though. It is difficult to determine their number because medical reports included only the number of infected free people. Around 1850 there were approximately 10-12 prostitutes in large settlements, and 1-2 in smaller ones. At the beginning of the 1840's there were reports about the frightening spread of sexually transmitted diseases in Jászság. Although they managed to overcome the disease, major changes did not happen until the arrival of the civilian era, and modern health care. It seems that sexual ethics were influenced by the mentality of certain denominations, the size of the settlements, the characteristics of local economy and culture, the level of education, the situation of major roads and the movement of military troops. It still has to be determined what other factors played a role. 313
