The effect of the occupational mortality over the economy. Magdalena’s Fevers and tobacco farming in Colombia in XIX century

Introduction
This research is aimed at reviewing the effect reflected in the quality and quantity of tobacco exportation with the appearance of Magdalena Fevers in the Ambalema zone (Colombia), between 1856 and 1870.

Methods
The research explores the effect of labor over health and the effect of health over labor in this stage of the Colombian export development. By formulating an econometric model it is possible to establish whether the epidemic outbreaks of fevers were a relevant factor in explaining the behavior of tobacco exports from Ambalema to the outside.

Results
The analysis of the empirical data shows that it is possible that a fall on the exports in about 72,000 tobacco sacks per year was caused by the fevers in the studied region, as well as a negative effect of the disease on the tobacco prices.

Discussion
The effects of the diseases over the productive activities should be deeply studied. Morbidity and mortality had a deleterious effect over the price and level of exportations of tobacco in Colombia in the last years of the XIX century. Economist do not studied this kind of effects systematically.