Medicine but split into chunks

The medicine flashcards are really long so here they are split up into chunks. I will add them as and when I learn them.

What public health problems were there in medieval England? Chunk 1

The centralised organisation of Ancient Rome had vanished as regions fragmented.

This contributed to worse public health standards.

The Thames became so dirty that the “Great Conduit” was built to bring drinking water into London. Wardens protected and repaired pipes to keep the supply clean.

The city also tried to keep streets clean and to improve the sewage problems.

The unsanitary conditions were partly because of population growth and urbanisation.

What public health problems were there in medieval England? Chunk 2

More people lived in towns, so towns became crowded.

People lived close together in houses made of wood and overcrowding meant that disease spread quickly.

Towns were not clean because people did not know that dirt could cause disease and nobody understood germs or bacteria.

Miasma (bad air) was still believed to be the cause of illness.

Towns smelt bad, people then got ill so people thought the bad air (smells) made people ill.

Rivers were used for sewage as well as for drinking water.

What public health problems were there in medieval England? Chunk 3

This meant that there was a lack of clean water.

Lots of towns didn’t have clean water or sewage systems. Often there weren’t the systems of aqueducts and sewage that the Romans had used.

Cesspits were used for people to throw their liquid waste and sewage into.

Houses were also used for business by butchers and barbers.

Their waste and rubbish was often thrown in rivers and the street.

What public health problems were there in eighteenth- and nineteenth-century Britain? Chunk 1

The Industrial Revolution happened in Britain between 1760 and 1840. It saw lots of people move to cities and begin to work in manufacturing industries (instead of agriculture).

Thousands of people migrated from the countryside to cities such as London, Birmingham and Manchester.

For the first time, more people lived in British cities than the countryside.

Most people living in cities lived in terrible living conditions.

Workers lived in very small houses, houses were very close together and sometimes families lived in one small room.

Workers received very low wages and they often lived in poverty.

What public health problems were there in eighteenth- and nineteenth-century Britain? Chunk 2

Private toilets were rare, most families used toilets outside the house which were shared with others. Sewage would fall into a cesspit, which was often washed away by rain or thrown in rivers.

Water came from local rivers, which is where sewage from cesspits often went. This was sometimes a worse situation than Ancient Rome (with its aqueducts).

The streets were also dirty with wastage and sewage.

People’s health may have been worse than any other time in history.

What public health problems were there in eighteenth- and nineteenth-century Britain? Chunk 3

Because of these poor conditions and overcrowding, disease was very common. Some of the worst diseases were typhoid, tuberculosis and cholera.

Typhoid was caused by contaminated food or water, it was spread through unhygienic conditions.

Tuberculosis was caused by germs spread by sneezing or coughing, it was spread through overcrowded areas.

Cholera was caused by contaminated water or food.

Local councils were usually responsible for these health problems.

Some people thought government should intervene but often they did not (laissez-faire approach).

Local taxpayers made decisions and many of these did not want to pay more money to improve health conditions (for others) in their town.