SUMMARY
Aunque a partir de 1787 se habían adoptado medidas legislativas prohibiendo enterrar a los muertos en las iglesias, diversos pretextos contribuyeron a que tal actividad persistiera en España hasta bien entrado el siglo XIX. Los liberales, dignos continuadores del espíritu ilustrado también en este su empeño de dar sepultura en cementerios fuera de las poblaciones, van a gastar muchos esfuerzos en intentar cambiar los viejos hábitos para adaptarlos a las exigencias de la ciencia y, en defi nitiva, al interés de la salud pública. Como muestra de esa labor, traemos aquí el ejemplo de lo sucedido en Palma de Mallorca después de que Miguel Domingo, editor del periódico que aglutinaba allí a los reformistas, la Aurora Patriótica Mallorquina, diera a la luz un escrito denunciando aquella anticuada praxis, originando con ello una extensa polémica en la prensa mallorquina.ABSTRACT: Since 1787, though several legislative measures had been adopted to forbid burials in the churches, due to different reasons, this practice continued in Spain until the 19th century. The liberals were deserving followers of the spirit of the Enlightenment, because they were supporters of burying on cemeteries outside settlements, and they were going to put a lot of effort into trying to change old habits in order to adapt them to scientifi c exigencies and, defi nitely, to the interest of public health. As a proof of that task, we bring here the example of something which happened in Palma de Mallorca, after Miguel Domingo, the editor of the newspaper that gathered the reformers, the Aurora Patriótica Mallorquina published a document where that antiquated custom was condemned, which caused a huge polemic in Majorcan press.