Medical Developments

• Due to improvements in health, children are far more likely to survive to adulthood than in the nineteenth century.This is because of:

  • inoculations against diseases such as tuberculosis, polio and scarlet fever
  • free medical care since the founding of the National Health Service, with health visitors checking on infant welfare
  • better nutrition and healthier environments
  • women therefore choosing to have fewer children as those they have are more likely to survive
• • The availability of effective contraception, especially the pill since the 1960s.