People's Health- Industrial 1750-1900 Flashcards
(19 cards)
Give some key features of industrial Britain
The theory of evolution was accepted
Religion declined
Railways with steam trains transported good nationwide
People moved from Britain to the colonies of the British empire
Working class were ignored and their living conditions worsened
How was overcrowding caused and what was the effect of this on public health?
Migration caused overcrowding, furthermore housing quality and lack of space led to overcrowding. This led to diseases like tuberculosis due to the damp walls in poorly built houses
What was the cause for the lack of support towards the poor and what was the effect of this on public health?
Governments believed in an idea called laissez fare, so there was no free healthcare, the poor could not afford healthcare
Why was disease so common?
Until 1861, people did not know about gerns
Many people drank dirty water
People lived close together
What was the effect of disease?
Infant mortality was high
Life expectancy was low
Why was water and waste still a problem?
Water companies sourced their water from ponds, rivers and streams. This water was often dirty- cholera and typhoid were prevalent.
People still didn’t understand that dirty water caused disease
What were the diets like for the working class and what was the effect of this?
Potatoes, bread, butter, bear
- Difficult to obtain fruit and veg- malnutrition
There was no government regulation of food- food was often mixed with other products- adulteration
Cheap, diseased meat was available
When was cholera brought to Britain?
1831 by sailors who arrived in british ports from india
When were the most serious cholera epidemics in britain?
1831-32, 1854 and 1865-66
What were the beliefs about disease in the 1830s and the national and local responses?
People still believed in the miasma theory which said that the disease was spread by poisoned air.
The church said that cholera came from God as a punishment for sin
Connections were made between dirt and disease
National Response:
The central board of health was set up to study the disease in other countries
A national day of fasting, humiliation and prater on 2 march 1832
Local:
Burning tar in the street to purify the air
Cleaning rubbish
Quarantines
What were the beliefs about disease in 1848 and the national and local responses?
Edwin Chadwick produced his “sanitary report” 6 years prior
NATIONAL RESPONSE:
The public health act of 1848 set up the general board of health and encouraged local councils to set up health boards to clean up towns
LOCAL RESPONSES:
Limited progress because the 1848 public health act did not enforce change
Town leaders that change would be too expensive
What were the beliefs about disease in 1854 and the national and local responses?
John Snow proved that cholera was spread by infected water. He found evidence that a water pump near his surgery was the cause of the disease in that area
NATIONAL RESPONSES:
Laissez faire attitude continued
Abolishment of the general board of health
What were the beliefs about disease in 1866 and the national and local responses?
The ideas of snow were widely accepted
In 1861, Louis Pasteur had proved that germs caused disease
NATIONAL RESPONSES:
Sanitary act of 1866 made local councils responsible for sewers, water supply and street cleaning. Good sewers limited the impact of the 1866 cholera epidemic
LOCAL RESPONSES:
In 1865, Joseph Bazelgette’s new London sewerage system was open. This revolutionised public health
When was the old public health act replaced with the new one?
1875, this new law forced local councils to take responsibility for cleaning up their towns, which included the appointment of health inspectors.
Why was the 1848 public health ineffective?
Because it did not enforce change and town leaders thought that change was too expensive
What did Chadwick’s 1842 report challenge?
It challenged the government to introduce reform to address the appalling poverty that many industrial workers lived in. Laissez fair was challenged
What did Chadwick’s 1842 report suggest?
Chadwick suggested that a public health authority be set up which would force local councils to act to improve the public health by providing clean water and a sewerage system
Give three ways in which the 1848 public health act was an evidence of progress
The act created the general board of health
The government could force local councils to make public health improvements
The laissez faire approach was challenged
Give three limitations of the 1848 public health act
The government could only force local councils to make improvements if the death rate was higher than 23 per 100
By 1853 there were only 162 places with a local board of health
London was excluded
