Public health in towns

Why did disease spread so quickly in towns?

They had filthy streets and little to no sanitation

What happened to the influence of the Romans?

The Romans built many baths, toilets and sewers that were later purposefully destroyed or left to naturally decay over time

Why did this damage occur?

Many people wanted to remove all traces of the influences of the Romans once they had left

What were toilets like?

Built over rivers or cesspits so that the waste would be washed away from the city or collect in cesspits to be collected by gongfermers regularly

How did cesspits contribute to disease?

When not emptied regularly, the sewage seeped into the soil, rivers and wells to poison it

How did butchers contribute to the spread of disease?

They were allowed to slaughter animals directly in the street and any unsold waste was dumped into rivers, which attracted rats and contributed to the spread of the Black Death

What were attempted solutions to clean towns?

Punishments included fines the equivalent of £400 for people dumping rubbish in the street, butchers were banned from slaughtering animals in the streets, gongfermers were also employed to empty cesspits, muckrakers cleaned the streets and surveyors were employed to remove rubbish from the pavements

Why were solutions not very effective?

There was a lack of knowledge about the causes of disease, so there were no significant improvements to public health until the 19th century