Public Health- History

Medieval Health 1250-1500

Period Overview:

Almost everyone was Catholic(lead by the pope)- people believed in God and the Devil.
The Catholic church was a key part of daily life.

Feudal system- king at top serving God by protecting England. King gave land to barons whom controlled different parts of the Kingdom for him. At the bottom of the hierarchy were peasants, this is were most of the population was. Mainly farmers.
90% of the population lived in the countryside.
Wool was England’s biggest export.
by 1500 there were 15 towns with a population of 10,000 or more.

Responses to epidemics

The Black Death arrived in Britain in 1348. It originated from China and spread via trade routes.
Rats carried fleas with Yersinia pestis - the bacteria that caused the disease-
People at the time did not know what caused the Black Death.
People at time believed that, Jews, outsiders, miasma, planet alignment and God’s punishment caused the disease.
This meant that there responses mirrored on what they believed caused the Black Death; This included: self-flagellation, poises of herbs, prayer and stopping outsiders from entering villages.
There was limited responses from the government (King) however he did write a letter to the Mayor of London in 1349 ordering him to clean up the city

Living conditions in houses

90% of the population lived in villages. They were farmers whom often lived in simple huts.
Houses had open fires but not chimneys. Sometimes animals were brought indoors for warmth and protection.

Living conditions- Water

Towns people got there water from public conduits (a channel, pipe, or tube used to convey fluids like water), very few homes had private wells.
Villages were usually located near a stream or spring.

Living conditions-waste

Waste was placed in middens(A midden is an old pile or heap of domestic waste, garbage, animal dung, or discarded shells and bones left behind by humans or animals) or cesspits(a dug-out or lined underground chamber designed to collect and contain human excrement, wastewater, and household rubbish.) . Waste was also dumped into rivers.

Living conditions- Food

Harvest were vital for survival. A bad harvest caused dearth(food shortages) and could lead to death. The great famine of 1315 lead to 10% of the population dying.
Ergotism was a fungus that grew on rye bread and often causes hallucinations. Medieval people did not know about the fungus.

Attempts to improve Public Health

From 1293, rakers were employed to clear rubbish off the streets in London . Other towns followed this example by 1500.
From around 1300 onwards, the city introduced rules about where latrines (toilets) were allowed to be built. This was because a latrine in Moorgate had leaked sewage into the surrounding area.
London introduced more measures after the arrival of the Black Death. For example , in 1385, a warden was employed to ensure the streets and banks of the Thames were free of filth.
In 1417, the city authorities closed public baths during an outbreak of the plauge.
In 1488, the butchers’ guild built an underground passage to carry waste from the shambles- a place were animals were slaugtered- to the Thames.

Period overview

Population grew from 2.5 million (1500) to nearly 6 million (1750).
Rual life: most people lived and worked in the country side; wool spinning and weaving were often done at home
The Renaissance meaning rebirth happened, where challenging old beliefs happened including the Reformation (A 16th-century religious movement that broke the unified power of the Roman Catholic Church in Western Europe and created Protestantism)
Science: New ideas began to spread through inventions such as the printing press and microscope, encouraging scientific debate.
Towns grew as people moved for work; by 1750 , around 20% of the population lived in towns.
Trade grew and new products from the New World (Maise-corn-, potatoes, tomatoes, chili peppers cacoa and tobacco) came into Britain.
Parliament and the King fought in the English Civil War, parliament gained more power.
Voting: Political power was still very limited - only about 3% of the population could vote for MPs

Responses to Epidemics

Plague outbreaks occurred roughly every 20 years between 1500 and 1670.
There were some changes to how the plague was approached.
In 1518, Henry VIII introduced isolation in London. Infected houses had to have a bundle of straw outside for 40 days .
Other towns copied this idea and some towns set up pesthouses (isolated buildings set up by towns and parishes to quarantine and care for victims of infectious diseases like the plague and smallpox mainly for the poor.)
in 1578 Elizabeth I introduced isolation Plague Orders which required infected homes to be shut for atleast 6 weeks, streets to be cleaned, cats and dogs could be removed and bedding of victims would be burned.
In 1604 James I’s Plague Orders increased financial help for victims and introduced severe punishments for anyone breaking isolation rules.
These measures were partly effective as isolation could reduce the spread,however, it was still limited as it was not understood that fleas on rats spread the disease.
1665 Great Plague killed 100,000 people in London 20% of the city
1660 gin became cheap, beer became expensive, brandy was banned due to French Wars.This lead to the gin craze as many small shops began opening. This caused increased poverty , crime , harm to babies and high death rate.
Government introduced Gin Acts 1729,1736 and 1743 but none were successful due to poor enforcement and illegal sales. In 1751 the Gin Act was made stronger. It restricted who could sell gin.

Living Conditions in houses:

changed from mediveal 20% of the population now lived in towns and traded. Houses were often built together which was dangerous.
Houses continued to have open fires but no chimneys and they still sometimes brought animals indoors for warmth and protection.

Living Conditions - Water

Townspeople still got water from public conduits, very few homes had private wells.
villages were still located near a stream or spring.
Some towns now used reservoirs and pipes (changed from medieval) but water was still unsafe.

Living conditions - Waste

Living conditions - Food

The poor still ate a basic diet of vegetables, bread and pottage.
The wealthy ate a varied diet including meat, fish, fruit and imported foods from the New World. Sugar became important and high consumption led to tooth decay and obesity.

Attempts to improve Public Health.

Numerous Plague Orders passed by monarchs to try to contain the spread of the Plague
The Great Fire of London 1666 destroyed over 10,000 houses. In 1667 the Rebuilding Act meant that houses needed to use brick , tile and stone that regulated the size of streets.
By 1750 several London companies supplied water to homes that could afford it.
Late 1600s-1700s- London employed watchmen and scavengers to help clean streets and remove waste, although rubbish and sewage remained widespread.