info

• 1848 public health act - work of chadwick

  1842 report - The Sanitary Conditions of the Labouring Population. Demonstrated that there was a link between poor living conditions, disease and life expectancy

  Argued that this was detrimental to economic growth as it inhibited hard work. Therefore improved health would improve the economic output of the nation

  MPs were astonished and unbelieving
• 1848 public health act - problem of cholera

  Arrived in Britain in 1831 when an epidemic hit Sunderland

  1931 outbreak killed 30k people. Vast majority were living in overcrowded slums with poor housing and little access to clean water

  1848 saw another cholera outbreak

  This encouraged MPs to pass an act to clean up cities and begin to move away from Laissez Faire
• 1875 public health act - political reasons

  The government was beginning to move away from Laissez Faire ideas and this is seen in the 1852 and 1821 acts which made smallpox vaccinations for children compulsory

  They were able to build upon previous legislation such as the 1866 Sanitary Act and 1875 Artisans dwelling act

  They were encouraged to improve sanitation in towns to appease the working class men who had been given the vote in 1867

  Therefore the new government had existing legislation to build upon and an electorate to satisfy
• 1875 public health act - work of experts

  Snow's work of 1854 proved the link between water and cholera and his work outlined that death rates varied according to the water sources used by different water companies

  Pasteur's germ theory for 1861 showed how disease spread and why hygiene was important.

  The government started collecting statistics on births and deaths. William Farr used these to highlight that death rates were much higher in towns and cities then in villages
• Bazalgette's sewers - the great stink

  1858 - Great Stink in London caused by a heatwave which lowered the level of the Thames and caused exposed sewage to stink

  1859 - MPs passed an act to provide the money to build a new sewer system in London

  Bazalgette was appointed to design it and £3 million was provided to build it

  Built in 1875 at a cost of £6.5 million

  Thus the Great Stink forced parliament to provide money for a sewerage system
• Bazalgette's sewers - problem of cholera

  Cholera had first hit Britain in 1831 in Sunderland and it had become endemic with frequent flare ups

  John Snow had outlined the connection between water supply and cholera in 1850s

  Pasteur's germ theory of 1860 had proved that disease was caused by bacteria

  Thus by the 1860s it was known that bacteria in water could cause cholera and governments were forced to act