Explain The Medical Issues In The Victorian Era

Medical Issues in the Victorian Era
“In London it’s thought 7,000 people died of Cholera in the 1831-1832 outbreak, which represented a 50% death rate. With a chronic lack of hygiene, diseases such as cholera could be devastating” (Trueman). People in the Victorian Era had no idea what sanitation was. There were horrifying outbreaks of terribly contagious diseases, and no one knew how they were occurring. Sanitation was a big issue in the Victorian Era. “Cholera, a bacterial disease, has claimed 52,000 lives” (Douglas). Sewage was being allowed to come into contact with drinking water and much of the food that was consumed by the working-class family, was contaminated by chemicals, which led to several outbreaking diseases (Trueman). “Britain
Cholera, a bacterial disease caused by contaminated water, caused many deaths. Cholera was a very unusual disease. “It was a greatly feared disease that could spread with speed. An attack of cholera is sudden and painful – though not necessarily fatal” (Trueman). “In 1854, Snow observed that a significant number of people with cholera in the Golden Square area of London all shared something in common: they all used the same water pump on Broad Street. Snow demonstrated that sewage had seeped into the pump's well, contaminating the water, and infecting the
“In 1854 Englishman John Snow, demonstrated a link between drinking contaminated water and people falling ill” (McAlpine). “Edwin Chadwick included figures to show that in 1839 for every person who died of old age or violence, eight died of specific diseases. This helps explain why during the second and third decades of the nineteenth century nearly one infant in three in England failed to reach the age of five” (Douglas). Before the discovery of microbes and germs, there were so many conflicting theories about diseases and what may have caused them. Microbes were discovered in 1864 by Louis Pasteur (Trueman). Alexander Fleming discovered what was to be one of the most powerful of all antibiotics – penicillin (Trueman). “Edwin Chadwick is most associated with public health improvements during the era of Queen Victoria. Edwin Chadwick used his position to persuade the government to invest in public health ventures and Chadwick must be credited with being Britain’s premier pioneer in public health Reform” (Trueman). Smallpox made a major re-occurrence in industrial cities even after Edward Jenner’s vaccine. (Trueman) “Edward Jenner’s great gift to the world was his vaccination for smallpox. This disease was greatly feared at the time as it killed one in three of those who caught it and badly disfigured those who were lucky enough to survive catching it” (Trueman). Sanitation