Changing Britain Nat 5 (Health and Housing)

Reasons for overcrowding

Employment became hard to find in agriculture.

Lack of technology meant people did not have public or private transport to travel to work.

Towns were generally built in limited amounts of space.

Growing population in Scotland due to increased migration and improvements in health.

Describe poor living conditions in British cities

buildings were rat infested

nowhere to keep food stored or fresh

lack of beds with people having to sleep on straw rooms were extremely short and their height was only five feet and six inches.

How poor living conditions led to poor health

Open sewage led to poor health because it spread diseases easily because waste is flowing over the streets allowing germs to spread through water and soil.

1. Poor housing conditions led to poor health because people are living in damp, cramped and badly ventilated spaces making people vulnerable to diseases,

2. Water pump for drinking is very close to the toilet which is unsanitary.

3. Rat infestations which meant that rats that were carrying diseases were spreading them across the room.

How poor medical knowledge led to poor health

People didn't know that filth building up near toilets could lead to diseases like cholera, typhoid and typhus.

People didn't know living in dirty and damp living spaces could cause diseases.

People didn't know to keep wounds clean meant that they would be safer

People didn't know that toilets and water pumps were very close to each other which meant dirty water.

How lack of clean water led to poor health

Lack of clean water/ drinking dirty water led to cholera and typhoid which were caught by drinking infected water and could lead to death as there was no cure. Symptoms included diarrhoea, vomiting and internal bleeding.

How medical advances led to improved health

Edward Jenner- discovered vaccinations for smallpox,

James Young Simpson- discovered chloroform anaesthetics for surgery which improved survival rates as people used to go into shock.

Florence Nightingale-wounds kept clean

Joseph Lister- Surgical tools were kept clean instead of infecting people.

How improved living conditions led to improved health

Council houses were built

Toilets were still shared but not with the whole street

they had access to hot water, hot food and heating, some homes had electricity.

How piped water led to improved health

Less diseases spread since clean water was pumped into the city instead of dirty, contaminated water which spread diseases, clean water made available for drinking, public wash and bath houses

How government legislation led to improved health

Public Health Act 1848) - gave local authorities the power to take control of supplies, sewage disposal and drainage.

Nuisance Removal (1855) police had the power to fix or remove unhygienic places but there wasn't

Public Health Act (1867) dirt removed from streets and new sewers installed

Artisans Dwelling Act (1875) people given ability to purchase and remove slum houses and replace them with better housing (wasn't compulsory so not lots did it)

Public Health Act (1875) public health hazards that could be considered nuisances such as foul smelling sewers or poorly kept animals that could affect people's health were removed

How better sanitation led to improved health

in Birmingham the mayor made provisions for gas and water supplies improving people's health. fresh water was made available at Loch Katrine for people to drink.

public baths and wash houses were made so people could wash and be clean.

fresh water was pumped into the city instead of dirty water, so less diseases spread.