Public health🩺

• Cholera first reached Britain for the first time in the early 1830's.
• In 1831, around 50,000 people were killed.
• victims of cholera would have severe diahoera and vomiting, causing them to loose around 500ml of water an hour.
• victims skin and nails would turn black just before they died.
• people believed cholera was caused by miasma, dirty streets and cramped living conditions.
• Cholera was actually caused by dirty, contaminated water.
• John Snow was a famous surgeon, who worked in Broad Street, who began to investigate why over 700 people died in the street from cholera.
• Through investigation, he found that all the cholera victims got their water from the Broad Street water pump.
• He then got permission to remove the handle off of the broad street pump, forcing people to get their water from another pump.
• It later came about that a cesspool, with a cracked lining, was seaping into the drinking water.
• The 1875 health act, was the second public health act to be passed.
• The 1875 health act stated that the local authorities had to provide clean water facilities, build sewerage systems and appoint a medical officers.
• The Prime minister, Benjamin Disraeli, introduced further reforms in 1875- 1876 such as:

  • The 1875 Artisans’ and Laborer's Dwellings Improvement Act brought in new standards for housing quality.
  • The 1875 Sale of Food and Drugs Act tightened laws around food labelling.
  • The 1876 Rivers Pollution Prevention Act aimed to clean up rivers and the water supply.
• In 1889, the social reformer Charles Booth decided to investigate the levels of poverty in London. He produced a color coded map that showed the divide between the rich and the poor areas in the city.
• Booth found that 35 percent of the population lived in extreme poverty, even though they had full time jobs.
• The 1848 health act was non- compulsory and put into place non- compulsory medical officers, water and sewage systems and councils to improve public health. There was a lack of funding for this health act.
• The 1875 act was made compulsory and this act had more of an impact than the 1848 act.