Account for the Development of Public Health Reforms in the 19th Century and Assess Their Role in Improving the Population's Health by the Early 20th Century
The 19th Century was the century of the industrial revolution. There were numerous developments in scientific fields, including Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Mathematics alongside the invention of useable electricity and steel production. These all led to the growth of railways and steam ships as a means of transportation, and improved methods of communication. These developments led to a sharp explosion of new factories hoping to utilise the new technology and knowledge in order to make products faster and more cheaply than ever before. At the same time as these advances were being made the population of Britain doubled in the first half of the nineteenth century, with a fourfold or even eightfold increase in the populations of some urban areas (Alcock, Daly, Griggs, 2008)
During this period of rapid technological advancement the number of jobs available in towns and cities grew exponentially, leading to towns and cities becoming over-crowded with workers flocking to them in order to find work. Often the people who would traditionally have been working on the land were drawn to the towns and cities to take advantage of the opportunities that were being presented to them there. It has been suggested that, at the beginning of the century, around 80% of people lived in rural areas and worked on the land as farmers or within their homes to make cloth from cotton or to spin wool to be made into clothes; by the middle of the century, it is estimated that over 50% of the population lived in industrial towns and cities.
"In the first 50 years of the nineteenth century, for example, the population of Birmingham grew from 71,000 to 233,000, of Glasgow from 77,000 to 345,000, of Liverpool from 82,000 to 376,000 and of Manchester from 75,000 to 303,000" (Alcock,Daly,Griggs,2008)
Small areas of habitation grew quickly until they grew into the major cities. Birmingham and Sheffield became famous for their manufacturing trades. London, Liverpool and Bristol grew because
During this period of rapid technological advancement the number of jobs available in towns and cities grew exponentially, leading to towns and cities becoming over-crowded with workers flocking to them in order to find work. Often the people who would traditionally have been working on the land were drawn to the towns and cities to take advantage of the opportunities that were being presented to them there. It has been suggested that, at the beginning of the century, around 80% of people lived in rural areas and worked on the land as farmers or within their homes to make cloth from cotton or to spin wool to be made into clothes; by the middle of the century, it is estimated that over 50% of the population lived in industrial towns and cities.
"In the first 50 years of the nineteenth century, for example, the population of Birmingham grew from 71,000 to 233,000, of Glasgow from 77,000 to 345,000, of Liverpool from 82,000 to 376,000 and of Manchester from 75,000 to 303,000" (Alcock,Daly,Griggs,2008)
Small areas of habitation grew quickly until they grew into the major cities. Birmingham and Sheffield became famous for their manufacturing trades. London, Liverpool and Bristol grew because