industrial britain - people's health

1832

start of cholera epidemic in Britain

significance of Henry Caulter

local doctor in Manchester who plotted the location of each victim of cholera

1842 - what % of working class children in Manchester died before the age of 5

57%

state what a through house was

a house with its own backyard

describe some of the health problems related to back housing and cellar dwelling

• difficulty in ventilating back to back housing

• cellar dwellings often flooded

what helped increase the quality of food in 1860

food began to be preserved in cans

describe how food eaten by poor urban workers was adulterated

• cow’s milk - water and chalk

• butter - copper in order to improve colour

1864

pasteurisation was invented by Louis Pasteur

describe access to clean water for those that lived in working class conditions, 1750-1850

• poorer areas shared a single pump

• landlords often paid a small sum to water companies for ~2-3 hours of water per day

explain why there was nothing done to stop the spread of water borne diseases before 1861

no one was aware disease was caused by germs in water

why was there continuity from the medieval period and the early modern period in the disposal of human waste

1. People continued to not understand that germs in infected water caused disease

   1. This led to waste continuing to be emptied into local rivers

   2. Due to the increased pressure on sewage systems

   3. Caused by a swelling population

state the life expectancy in Manchester at birth, 1841

• average - 26.6 years

• Anacoats (poorest area) - 14 years

why did numerous cholera riots break out across Britain in 1832

mill owners campaigned against quarantining people in hospitals as they believed it would affect their labour force

how many people died from the cholera epidemic

32,000 people in Britain

when and where did the first cholera outbreak begin

• 1832

• Sunderland

similarities in the response to disease outbreak

• isolating and quarantine

• prayer to God

differences in the response to disease outbreak

attempts to change lifestyles and living conditions

March 2nd 1832

government sought God’s help with a national day of fasting, humiliation and prayer

November 1832

government set up the central Board of Health

1867

working class men 21+ were given the right to vote

describe Edwin Chadwick’s action, 1842

• Chadwick wrote the ‘Report on the Sanitary Conditions of the Labouring Classes’ in 1842

• it showed that life expectancy was much lower in cities than in the countryside - due to filthy living conditions in cities

• he campaigned for Boards of Health to be set up

describe scientific developments from 1840

• Pasteur’s ‘Germ Theory’ made the link between dirt and disease

• John Snow found that dirty water contained germs which caused cholera

• Koch’s work on microbes supported Snow’s cholera findings

state the death toll of the 1832 cholera epidemic

22,000

state the death toll of the 1849 cholera epidemic

53,000

state the death toll of the 1854 cholera epidemic

20,000

state the death toll of the 1866 cholera epidemic

14,000

state what the 1848 Public Health Act introduced

• towns were encouraged to set up boards of health

• towns were encouraged to provide clean water supplies

• more sewers were to be built

• slums were to be demolished

state why the 1875 Public Health Act was necessary

• put in legally enforced regulations

• on a national scale

• to ensure public health is improving

• at the same rate across the country

what did the 1875 Public Health Act introduce

• clean water infrastructure

• sewage disposal

• ensured the quality of new houses

• increase lodgings inspections

• quality check for food in shops

• ALL COMPULSORY

what changes did Chadwick’s report propose

• establish National Public Health Authority (NPHA)

• replace cesspools with water closets connected to sewers

• constant supply of water to homes

• replace flat bottom sewers with egg shaped sewers to make flushing easier

• recycle liquid sewage into fertiliser

• FUNDED THROUGH LOCAL TAXATION RATES FROM MIDDLE CLASS PROPERTY OWNERS

what did the Public Health Act of 1848 do

• establish a general Board of Health - compulsory

• establish a local Board of Health is 10% of ratepayers supported it - permissive

  • compulsory if the town had a mortality rate higher than 23/1000

• connect houses to sewers - permissive

• ACT DID NOT APPLY TO LONDON

1854

• John Snow found that dirty water contaminated germs which caused cholera

  • however many (including Chadwick) still believed miasma was the main cause

1855

• John Simon, a London surgeon, was appointed Medical Officer of the General Board of Health

• over the next 20 years, he investigated the links between living conditions and disease

1858

Great Stink in London

cause of the Great Stink

long hot summer led to the level of the Thames falling

effects of the 1858 Great Stink

• exposed rubbish and excrement on the Thames’ banks

• caused a horrendous smell

  • smell nearly led to Parliament being closed

• led to the passing of an Act to provide money for a new sewage system by Bazalgette

describe Bazalgette’s sewage system

• 1,300 miles long

• 318 million bricks

• took 7 years to construct

• opened April 4th 1865

1867

Pail privies were introduced in Rochdale

Artisans’ Dwelling Act 1875

• local authorities were given the power to buy slums and replace them with better housing

• it was PERMISSIVE

• Birmingham - Joseph Chamberlain (mayor) used this legislation to improve the city’s housing stock

Sale of Food and Drugs Act 1875

• more regulations regarding the preparation of foodstuffs

• inspectors could be appointed to check if food was adulterated

• it was PERMISSIVE

River Pollution Act 1876

• noxious substances were not to be dumped in river

• it was RARELY ENFORCED

describe George Dawson’s importance

• created concept of civic pride

• resulted in increasingly positive attitudes towards civil service and jobs from new generations of affluent youths

describe Joseph Chamberlain’s importance

• Mayor of Birmingham in the late 19th century

  • known to be the best governed city in the world at the time

• he spearheaded investment in fresh water supply and corporation street

  • led to life expectancy increasing by 2-3 years for EVERY individual in Birmingham

1894

• Thirlmere Aqueduct built in Manchester

• brought fresh water to the city