The Crises In Public Health Of The 19th Century

The crises in public health of the 19th Century were a result of the urbanisation which occurred as a result of the industrial revolution. The epidemics brought a need for public approach to the prevention of disease. However this did not specifically set in motion the idea of a ‘national’ health service. The biggest obstacle towards this was the ideology of laissez-faire. In order to reach an establishment of a National Health Service, there needed to be a majority belief in universal entitlement. The area of debate lies between the extent to which the NHS was a logical outcome of the formation of the ‘Welfare State’ based on humanitarian ideas of the liberals or an eventuality which could only have arisen as a result of the rise of socialism and the personal energy and commitment of Aneurin Bevan.
Chapter 1: Public Health Epidemics of disease were a consequence of this industrialisation which followed the industrial revolution and allowed the situation of public health to deteriorate. Therefore health crises did not lead to the formation of a national health service. However the crises in public health did force the state to recognise the need for intervention. So without the epidemic to scare some MPs into action, there would have been no change and ultimately no public health movement. Urban growth and population density grew rapidly after the industrial revolution, leading to overcrowding and unsanitary living conditions. Between 1801 and 1851 the population of England and Wales doubled