1750-1900 Public Health
To What Extent Had Public Health Improved From 1750-1900
Introduction :
Explain how you will analyse the question To what extent had Public Health Improved from 1750-1900? THINK : What are the key factors you will be writing about? You will have to address the question throughout your essay and come back to it in your conclusion. Starting point is to define ‘public health’!
Public Health - the health of the population as a whole, especially as monitored, regulated, and promoted by the state.
Paragraph 1 - Common killer diseases of the age : what they were and how they were dealt with (an explanation of which ones were combated during this time).
Cholera, Typhoid, Tuberculosis(TB) - Cholera is most feared
Cholera - Cholera is an infectious …show more content…
disease that spreads rapidly. It arrived in Britain in 1831 and killed 50,000 people within a year. It causes victims to become violently sick with severe cramps, vomiting and watery, painful diarrhea which can lead to dehydration and even death. Cholera also causes the victim’s skin and nails to turn black just before the victim falls into a coma and ides.
Cholera Combated - Dr. John Snow investigated an area of London called Soho where over 700 people had caught and died of cholera within a few weeks. Dr.Snow found out that all people in this small area got their water from the Broad Street water pump. He also found out that those who didn't die got their water from other places. Dr.Snow asked permission to remove the handle of the water so people were forced to use another. The number of deaths from cholera dramatically lessened. When Snow investigated further he found out that the street toilet, only one metre from the pump, had a leakage and this allowed the filthy water to trickle into the drinking water. Snow had proved that cholera was caught through contagion by coming into personal contact with a sufferer of cholera or in this case drinking some water contaminated by a victim's diarrhoea and not carried through the air like a poisonous mist which many had believed for years.
Paragraph 2 - Living conditions (wealthy and poor) HINT : Think about sanitation.
The length of an individual’s life was very much dependent on the social class to which they belonged in. The poorer they were, the more likely they were to die an early death.
Living Conditions (Poor) - During 1750 lots of people moved to big towns and cities to get work due to the industrial revolution. In an effort to keep up with the demands for housing, factory owners built poorly designed and badly built houses, for its increasing work force. The houses were built without individual toilets and several families would had to share a single toilet which were often situated at the end of the road. With the overcrowding, ill-health rose sharply and life expectancy plummeted as the sanitation was bad.
Living Conditions (Wealthy) - They had proper houses that were not overcrowded.
They also did not need to share toilets. They had better sanitation compared to the poor.
Paragraph 3 - Working conditions (especially in factories)
Working conditions in factories : Harsh
Long Working Hours : shifts 12-14 hours a day, extra time required during busy periods.
Low Wages : average pay was approximately 8 shillings a week
Cruel Disciplines : Frequent beatings with a leather strap. Punishments included nailing children’s ears to table.
Fines : Factory workers were also fined for doing things such as whistling, talking and being late. Employers changed the time on clocks to make their workers late so that they could fine them.
Accidents : There were many accidents as children were forced to crawl into dangerous and unguarded machinery.
Health : The factory air was full of dust which caused chest and lung diseases. The loud noises emitted from the machines also damaged the workers’ hearing …show more content…
ability.
Paragraph 4 - Death rates and life expectancy for different social groups (ie : Did poor people suffer from worse health? Why? Who was most likely to die young? Why?). Explain what improved and the reasons for this. Also explain what didn’t change.
Poor people suffered from worse health as they had worse sanitation. They were also most likely to die young. This is because, the growth of cities and towns during the 1750s placed great pressures on the availability of cheap housing. Slum areas grew rapidly as many people went to towns and cities to find work,. Living conditions in many towns also became unimaginable. Many families were forced to live in single rooms, with no sanitation or fresh air. Raw sewage often contaminated drinking water and garbage was left rotting in the street. Problems with the disposal of the dead often added to the stench and decay. The death rate in most towns remained extremely high. In London, perhaps one in five children died before their second birthday.
Rich People were most likely to live longer as they had better sanitation and medical facilities.
Paragraph 5 - The health of children and how this changed (or stayed the same) between 1750-1900.
The health of children in the 1800’s deteriorated significantly. Although the death rate for adults dropped sharply, the death rate for children increased to 142 per 1000 in 1899. In some areas, it was much worse. In York, for example, the death rate for children was 250 per 1000 which meant that 25% of children died before their first birthday.
Paragraph 6 - What key individuals did to improve public health. Influential people like Chadwick, Snow and Bazalgette.
Edwin Chadwick - Born : January 24, 1800, Died : July 6, 1890 ↠ Sir Edwin Chadwick was an English social reformer, who is well known for his work in reforming the Poor Laws and improving sanitary conditions and public health.
John Snow - Born : March 15, 1813, Died : June 16, 1858 ↠ John Snow was an English physician and a leader in the adoption of anaesthesia and medical hygiene. He’s considered one of the fathers of modern epidemiology, partly because of his work in tracing the source of a cholera outbreak in Soho, London, in 1854. His discoveries inspired major changes in the water and waste systems of London, which led to similar changes in other cities, and a significant improvement in general public health around the world.
Joseph Bazalgette - Born : March 28, 1819, Died : March 15, 1891 ↠ Sir Joseph William Bazalgette was an English civil engineer. As a chief engineer of London’s Metropolitan Board of Works his principal accomplishment was the creation of a sewer network for central London in response to the Great Stink of 1858 that was instrumental in relieving the city from cholera epidemics while beginning the cleansing of the River Thames.
Paragraph 7 - Government action to improve public health (What did the government do to improve health and sanitation?) - What laws were passed and what were the results of the laws? Analyse different arguments that were put forward by different groups in society.
The incidence of many of these diseases had begun to decline because of public health improvements by the 1900’s.
Government efforts to improve sanitation and hygiene reinforced the concept "public health" . By 1900, 40 of the 45 counties in the U.K. had established hospitals and health departments. From 1930s through to the 1950s, county and local health departments made substantial progress in disease prevention activities, including sewage disposal, water treatment, food safety, organised solid waste disposal, and public education about hygienic practices. Chlorination and other treatments for drinking water began in the early 1900s and became widespread public health practices thus further decreasing the incidence of waterborne diseases. The Public Health Act, 1875 - Parliament began passing more legislation on public health. The 1866 Sanitary Act forced all towns to appoint inspectors to check water supplies and drainage. The 1875 Artisans Dwelling Act gave local authorities the power to buy and demolish slum housing. These led to the 1875 Public Health Act -which made local councils responsible
for ensuring that the following were provided: Clean water, public toilets, rubbish removal, sewers and drains. In the years after 1875, local councils also became responsible for: checking the quality of food in shops, ensuring that the quality of new housing was improved, enforcing a new law against polluting water, supplies such as rivers and stream
Conclusion - Look back at your main arguments in your paragraphs and evidence in your essay and directly answer the question! Remember to link all of your ideas together. How far had public health improved? THINK : In what ways did it improve and in what ways did it stay the same?
The Improvement of Public Health Between 1750-1900
Improvement in Public Health
Public health between 1750-1900 definitely improved. The sewers were put underground rather than in the open. This improved public health because diseases like the dreaded cholera were harder to catch and the streets were definitely a lot cleaner and smelt a lot better.
Conclusion
Looking at all the information public health improved a lot from 1750 to 1825 and then improved dramatically from 1825 to 1900. New ways were introduced to decrease the disease infection and disease exposure such as, the open sewers that were put underground, and the water that was treated at new water treatment works. Also there were new ways to eliminate the diseases and infections with the new hospitals and health departments that came up with antibiotics. These were a major improvement. So to sum up, public health definitely improved from 1750 to 1900.
Glossary Words :
-Standard of Health ↠ The Quality or attainment of Health
-Miasma ↠ An unpleasant or unhealthy smell or vapour.
An oppressive or unpleasant atmosphere which surrounds or emanates from something.
-Cholera ↠ An infectious and often fatal bacterial disease of the small intestine, typically contracted from infected water supplies and causing severe vomiting and diarrhoea.
-Sewers ↠ An underground conduit for carrying off drainage water and waste matter.
-Taxes ↠ A compulsory contribution to state revenue, levied by the government on workers' income and business profits, or added to the cost of some goods, services, and transactions.
-Sanitation ↠ Conditions relating to public health, especially the provision of clean drinking water and adequate sewage disposal.
-Life Expectancy ↠ The average period that a person may expect to live.
-Slums ↠ A squalid and overcrowded urban street or district inhabited by very poor people.
Introduction :
Explain how you will analyse the question To what extent had Public Health Improved from 1750-1900? THINK : What are the key factors you will be writing about? You will have to address the question throughout your essay and come back to it in your conclusion. Starting point is to define ‘public health’!
Public Health - the health of the population as a whole, especially as monitored, regulated, and promoted by the state.
Paragraph 1 - Common killer diseases of the age : what they were and how they were dealt with (an explanation of which ones were combated during this time).
Cholera, Typhoid, Tuberculosis(TB) - Cholera is most feared
Cholera - Cholera is an infectious …show more content…
disease that spreads rapidly. It arrived in Britain in 1831 and killed 50,000 people within a year. It causes victims to become violently sick with severe cramps, vomiting and watery, painful diarrhea which can lead to dehydration and even death. Cholera also causes the victim’s skin and nails to turn black just before the victim falls into a coma and ides.
Cholera Combated - Dr. John Snow investigated an area of London called Soho where over 700 people had caught and died of cholera within a few weeks. Dr.Snow found out that all people in this small area got their water from the Broad Street water pump. He also found out that those who didn't die got their water from other places. Dr.Snow asked permission to remove the handle of the water so people were forced to use another. The number of deaths from cholera dramatically lessened. When Snow investigated further he found out that the street toilet, only one metre from the pump, had a leakage and this allowed the filthy water to trickle into the drinking water. Snow had proved that cholera was caught through contagion by coming into personal contact with a sufferer of cholera or in this case drinking some water contaminated by a victim's diarrhoea and not carried through the air like a poisonous mist which many had believed for years.
Paragraph 2 - Living conditions (wealthy and poor) HINT : Think about sanitation.
The length of an individual’s life was very much dependent on the social class to which they belonged in. The poorer they were, the more likely they were to die an early death.
Living Conditions (Poor) - During 1750 lots of people moved to big towns and cities to get work due to the industrial revolution. In an effort to keep up with the demands for housing, factory owners built poorly designed and badly built houses, for its increasing work force. The houses were built without individual toilets and several families would had to share a single toilet which were often situated at the end of the road. With the overcrowding, ill-health rose sharply and life expectancy plummeted as the sanitation was bad.
Living Conditions (Wealthy) - They had proper houses that were not overcrowded.
They also did not need to share toilets. They had better sanitation compared to the poor.
Paragraph 3 - Working conditions (especially in factories)
Working conditions in factories : Harsh
Long Working Hours : shifts 12-14 hours a day, extra time required during busy periods.
Low Wages : average pay was approximately 8 shillings a week
Cruel Disciplines : Frequent beatings with a leather strap. Punishments included nailing children’s ears to table.
Fines : Factory workers were also fined for doing things such as whistling, talking and being late. Employers changed the time on clocks to make their workers late so that they could fine them.
Accidents : There were many accidents as children were forced to crawl into dangerous and unguarded machinery.
Health : The factory air was full of dust which caused chest and lung diseases. The loud noises emitted from the machines also damaged the workers’ hearing …show more content…
ability.
Paragraph 4 - Death rates and life expectancy for different social groups (ie : Did poor people suffer from worse health? Why? Who was most likely to die young? Why?). Explain what improved and the reasons for this. Also explain what didn’t change.
Poor people suffered from worse health as they had worse sanitation. They were also most likely to die young. This is because, the growth of cities and towns during the 1750s placed great pressures on the availability of cheap housing. Slum areas grew rapidly as many people went to towns and cities to find work,. Living conditions in many towns also became unimaginable. Many families were forced to live in single rooms, with no sanitation or fresh air. Raw sewage often contaminated drinking water and garbage was left rotting in the street. Problems with the disposal of the dead often added to the stench and decay. The death rate in most towns remained extremely high. In London, perhaps one in five children died before their second birthday.
Rich People were most likely to live longer as they had better sanitation and medical facilities.
Paragraph 5 - The health of children and how this changed (or stayed the same) between 1750-1900.
The health of children in the 1800’s deteriorated significantly. Although the death rate for adults dropped sharply, the death rate for children increased to 142 per 1000 in 1899. In some areas, it was much worse. In York, for example, the death rate for children was 250 per 1000 which meant that 25% of children died before their first birthday.
Paragraph 6 - What key individuals did to improve public health. Influential people like Chadwick, Snow and Bazalgette.
Edwin Chadwick - Born : January 24, 1800, Died : July 6, 1890 ↠ Sir Edwin Chadwick was an English social reformer, who is well known for his work in reforming the Poor Laws and improving sanitary conditions and public health.
John Snow - Born : March 15, 1813, Died : June 16, 1858 ↠ John Snow was an English physician and a leader in the adoption of anaesthesia and medical hygiene. He’s considered one of the fathers of modern epidemiology, partly because of his work in tracing the source of a cholera outbreak in Soho, London, in 1854. His discoveries inspired major changes in the water and waste systems of London, which led to similar changes in other cities, and a significant improvement in general public health around the world.
Joseph Bazalgette - Born : March 28, 1819, Died : March 15, 1891 ↠ Sir Joseph William Bazalgette was an English civil engineer. As a chief engineer of London’s Metropolitan Board of Works his principal accomplishment was the creation of a sewer network for central London in response to the Great Stink of 1858 that was instrumental in relieving the city from cholera epidemics while beginning the cleansing of the River Thames.
Paragraph 7 - Government action to improve public health (What did the government do to improve health and sanitation?) - What laws were passed and what were the results of the laws? Analyse different arguments that were put forward by different groups in society.
The incidence of many of these diseases had begun to decline because of public health improvements by the 1900’s.
Government efforts to improve sanitation and hygiene reinforced the concept "public health" . By 1900, 40 of the 45 counties in the U.K. had established hospitals and health departments. From 1930s through to the 1950s, county and local health departments made substantial progress in disease prevention activities, including sewage disposal, water treatment, food safety, organised solid waste disposal, and public education about hygienic practices. Chlorination and other treatments for drinking water began in the early 1900s and became widespread public health practices thus further decreasing the incidence of waterborne diseases. The Public Health Act, 1875 - Parliament began passing more legislation on public health. The 1866 Sanitary Act forced all towns to appoint inspectors to check water supplies and drainage. The 1875 Artisans Dwelling Act gave local authorities the power to buy and demolish slum housing. These led to the 1875 Public Health Act -which made local councils responsible
for ensuring that the following were provided: Clean water, public toilets, rubbish removal, sewers and drains. In the years after 1875, local councils also became responsible for: checking the quality of food in shops, ensuring that the quality of new housing was improved, enforcing a new law against polluting water, supplies such as rivers and stream
Conclusion - Look back at your main arguments in your paragraphs and evidence in your essay and directly answer the question! Remember to link all of your ideas together. How far had public health improved? THINK : In what ways did it improve and in what ways did it stay the same?
The Improvement of Public Health Between 1750-1900
Improvement in Public Health
Public health between 1750-1900 definitely improved. The sewers were put underground rather than in the open. This improved public health because diseases like the dreaded cholera were harder to catch and the streets were definitely a lot cleaner and smelt a lot better.
Conclusion
Looking at all the information public health improved a lot from 1750 to 1825 and then improved dramatically from 1825 to 1900. New ways were introduced to decrease the disease infection and disease exposure such as, the open sewers that were put underground, and the water that was treated at new water treatment works. Also there were new ways to eliminate the diseases and infections with the new hospitals and health departments that came up with antibiotics. These were a major improvement. So to sum up, public health definitely improved from 1750 to 1900.
Glossary Words :
-Standard of Health ↠ The Quality or attainment of Health
-Miasma ↠ An unpleasant or unhealthy smell or vapour.
An oppressive or unpleasant atmosphere which surrounds or emanates from something.
-Cholera ↠ An infectious and often fatal bacterial disease of the small intestine, typically contracted from infected water supplies and causing severe vomiting and diarrhoea.
-Sewers ↠ An underground conduit for carrying off drainage water and waste matter.
-Taxes ↠ A compulsory contribution to state revenue, levied by the government on workers' income and business profits, or added to the cost of some goods, services, and transactions.
-Sanitation ↠ Conditions relating to public health, especially the provision of clean drinking water and adequate sewage disposal.
-Life Expectancy ↠ The average period that a person may expect to live.
-Slums ↠ A squalid and overcrowded urban street or district inhabited by very poor people.