History

The Cross of Epidemics was instituted in Spain by Fernando VII/Ferdinand VII in recognition of the efforts and courage of all the physician who treated cholera during the epidemics at Manila in 1820, Canary Island in 1811, and Gibraltar in 1828.

The design of the Cross is the same for every event, but each inscription is different. The inscriptions could be translated to: "Ferdinand VII to the Merit Obtained in the Manila epidemic in 1820," for the cholera epidemic in Manila; "Ferdinand VII to the Merit Obtained in the Canary Islands epidemic in 1811," for the Canary Islands; and "Ferdinand VII to the Merit Obtained in the Gibraltar epidemic in 1828," for Gibraltar.

The Cross was re-instituted by Isabel II/Isabella II on August 15, 1838, to reward the efforts of physicians and volunteers who attend epidemics of cholera throughout Spain in 1830s.

The Cross was granted in the following decades when outbreaks of cholera broke out in Spain. The Cross was awarded mainly in the outbreaks of 1850s, 1860s, 1870s, and 1880s.

The Cross was annulled on July 10, 1910 when it was adhere to the Order of Charity, and it was crated the Civil Order of Health. See the Order of Charity ESP116, and the Civil Order of Health ESP132, for more information.

This Cross depicts the bust and cipher of Queen Isabel II, instead of the bust and cipher of the Fernando VII of the first versions.

The Cross features an reverse inscription that translates to "Isabel II to the Merit Achieved in the Epidemic of [...]," the inscriptions vary depending on the city of the outbreak epidemic.