3.2.1
Improving Public Health
Government Action to Improve Public Health
Government Action to Improve Public Health
By 1900, British towns generally had good systems in place to deal with sewage and to provide clean water to their population. It was largely government intervention that led to these changes.
1848 Public Health Act
1848 Public Health Act
- The Public Health Act set up a Central Board of Health to improve public health.
- Towns were asked to set up their own Local Board of Health.
- Town councils were given the power to spend money on improving street cleanliness.
- The result of the act was mixed because councils had their own autonomy. Some cleaned their streets but some didn’t.
- In 1854 the Central Board of Health was shut down as it was seen as a violation of the government’s laissez-faire approach.
The Great Stink
The Great Stink
- In 1858 London was struck by the ‘Great Stink’.
- The River Thames was so full of sewage and the weather was so hot that London smelt very bad.
- Parliament (located right on the Thames) noticed the smell.
- This prompted them to improve the London’s hygiene and sewage systems.
Sewer systems
Sewer systems
- Politicians funded an engineer called Joseph Bazalgette to build a new sewer system for London.
- Over 1300 miles of sewers were built to take sewage out of Central London.
- Bazalgette completed this within a year and these are still used today.
1867 Second Reform Act
1867 Second Reform Act
- In 1867, more working class men won the right to vote.
- This shift in the voting population helped to improve living conditions across the UK.
1875 Second Public Health Act
1875 Second Public Health Act
- The 1848 act was voluntary, but the 1875 Act was mandatory. It forced local authorities to:
- Provide clean water
- Provide proper sewage systems
- Collect rubbish on the street
- Appoint a Medical Officer of Health
What Forced the Government to Intervene to Improve Public Health?
What Forced the Government to Intervene to Improve Public Health?
Living conditions in British towns only really changed because of mandatory government legislation (laws). These laws seem to have been enforced for a few reasons:
Political changes
Political changes
- The 1867 Reform Act gave more working class men the vote. This meant that politically to stay in power, improving living conditions for this group was more important.
- The Chadwick Report of 1842 could have had an effect in increasing awareness but most of the change came a lot later than 1842.
Chance
Chance
- The Great Stink of 1858 was only really created by unusually hot weather.
- The smell from the Thames reached parliament and it took this to lead to Bazalgette’s reforms of the London sewage system.
Scientific advances
Scientific advances
- Pasteur’s Germ Theory and advances in medical surgery showed that disease and illness were more preventable than they had previously been perceived.
- Previously supernatural factors had been blamed.
- Statistics collected around deaths and death rates also showed the differences in living conditions and this may have shamed the government into action.
Individuals
Individuals
- The below all contributed to change:
- Pasteur’s discovery of germs/microbes as a cause of disease.
- Edwin Chadwick’s report and recommendations.
- Dr Snow’s findings around cholera.
1Medicine in Medieval England
1.1Ideas about the Cause of Disease & Illness
1.2Approaches to Prevention & Treatment
2The Medical Renaissance in England
2.1Ideas about the Cause of Disease & Illness
2.2Approaches to Prevention & Treatment
3Medicine in 18th & 19th Century Britain
3.1Ideas about the Cause of Disease & Illness
3.2Approaches to Prevention & Treatment
4Medicine in Modern Britain
4.1Modern Understanding of Disease
4.2Approaches to Prevention & Treatment
5Treatment in WW1
6Themes in Medicine
7Some Extra Context (Not Compulsory for Exam)
7.1Medieval Medicine
Jump to other topics
1Medicine in Medieval England
1.1Ideas about the Cause of Disease & Illness
1.2Approaches to Prevention & Treatment
2The Medical Renaissance in England
2.1Ideas about the Cause of Disease & Illness
2.2Approaches to Prevention & Treatment
3Medicine in 18th & 19th Century Britain
3.1Ideas about the Cause of Disease & Illness
3.2Approaches to Prevention & Treatment
4Medicine in Modern Britain
4.1Modern Understanding of Disease
4.2Approaches to Prevention & Treatment
5Treatment in WW1
6Themes in Medicine
7Some Extra Context (Not Compulsory for Exam)
7.1Medieval Medicine
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