Developments in public health and welfare - chap 6 Flashcards
Medieval era
What public health like in medieval era?
poor
* you could smell a town long before you could see it
Medieval era
Why were towns worse than the country side?
- mortality was higher
- people lived close together, alongside their animals and their filth
- in Exeter you would enter by a bridge crossing a river known as ‘shitebrook’ - where the nightsoil men dumped their waste into the river
Medieval era
What is an example of a clean medieval town, how?
Coventry
Coventry council made a consistent effort to clean up the city
Medieval era
How did coventry attempt to clean the city?
1421 - mayor proclemation required that every man clean the street in front of their house every saturday or pay a 12 p fine (no exeptions)
Medieval era
What were some other improvements in public health?
- Crusaders brought back soap from the Middle East to Europe
- Towns introduced quarantine laws to combat plague
- Towns had bath houses
- London produced about 50 tons of excrement per day, so muck-rakers were hired to clean the streets
Medieval era
What was the extent of change during the medieval era?
Limited
* saw some Government action
* but cities were still not a healthy place to live:
* e.g in London - outbreaks of the plague many times
Renaissance
What was public health like during the 16th and 17th century?
Poor
Multiple outbreaks of the plague - biggest one in 1665
Renaissance
What were the attempts to improve public health?
- Henry VII passed a law forbidding slaughterhouses within cities or towns
- Henry VIII passed an Act of Parliament giving towns and cities the power to impose a tax in order to build sewers
Renaissance
How many times did Elizabeth l bath a month?
once
Renaissance
Who was Samuel and Elizabeth Pepys
- Samuel - a writer
- wrote that his wife (Elizabeth) wouldnt let him into bed unless he had washed
Renaissance
Why was it impossible to keep towns + cities clean?
growing so fast
despite people making the link between dirt and disease
Renaissance
What event led to new laws and improvements in public health?
Great fire of London - 1666
Renaissance
What did the 1666 Act of Parliament aim to do?
Rebuild London with safer, more uniform buildings
Renaissance
How did the new laws reduce fire risk?
- Wider streets
- stone houses
- tile/slate roofs
Renaissance
What did later acts require?
- Clean streets
- remove dung
- ban pigs indoors
Renaissance
What was the extent of change during the renaissance?
Some
* Government led action (only some)
* Improvements in buildings and streets
* Lack of effective sanitation
* Overcrowding
Industrial era
What was the impact of industrialisation on public health?
People moved to cities - where the jobs were
few building regulations
Industrial era
What philosophy did the government believe in, what did this mean?
laissez faire
it wasnt the governments responsibility to regulate things like:
* working conditions
* houses
* transport
Industrial era
What was the result of the laissez faire philosophy?
working class housing was very poor
* 1842 - average age of death in Manchester - 17 (compared to 38 in rural Rutland)
Industrial era
How much did the population of London soar due to industrialisation?
1801 - 957,000
1851 - 2,362,000
1901 - 4,536,000
Industrial era
What was the name of Edwin Chadwicks report?
Report on the Sanitary Conditions of the Labouring Population
Industrial era
What did Edwin Chadwick’s 1842 report reveal about poverty and health?
that poor living conditions (not laziness) caused poverty and ill health
Industrial era
What key improvements did Chadwick recommend?
- Refuse removal
- proper sewers and clean water
- medical officer in each area
Industrial era
What was the clean party, who opposed it?
those pushing for government action to improve conditions in towns (Chadwick was a member)
opposed by the ‘dirty party’ - MPs and others who opposed any such actions
* based on the monumental costs involved
Industrial era
What was the great clean up?
series of
* reforms
* actions
* laws
aimed at improving urban sanitation, reducing disease, and making cities healthier places to live
Industrial era
What were some examples of actions taken during the great clean up?
- Building Sewers (London started in 1858)
- Clean Water Supply - Councils began piping clean water into homes, reducing the spread of waterborne diseases like cholera
- 1848 Public Health Act - allowed local councils to improve conditions in their town if they wiahed
- 1875 Public Health Act - made sanitation laws compulsory for all local councils (e.g made it compulsory for local councils to lay sewers)
Industrial era
Who was Sir Titus Salt?
wealthy mill owner in Bradford
Industrial era
How did Salt contribute to the improvement of public health?
built the model town of Saltaire to improve workers’ living conditions:
* planned village with clean housing, fresh water, and good sanitation
* designed to keep workers healthy and away from industrial pollution
Industrial era
Why is Sir Titus Salt an important figure in public health improvements?
proved that better living conditions could improve health and productivity, inspiring future urban reforms
Industrial era
What was the extent of change during the industrial era?
Turning point
* Clean Water & Sewers
* Housing Improvements
* Public Health Acts
* Shift from laissez faire to government action
Modern
What was David Lloyd George’s promise in 1918 regarding housing?
replace slums with “homes fit for heroes” for returning WW1 soldiers
Modern
What did the 1919 Housing Act do?
Gave grants to local councils to build council houses across the country
Modern
How did the Beveridge Report of 1942 influence housing?
identified “squalor” as a major issue and called for ‘more and better homes’
Modern
What was the housing response after WWll?
1.25 million homes were built by 1951 to tackle the post-war housing shortage
Modern
What housing changes happened in the 1960s?
Inner-city slums were demolished and replaced with high-rise flats
Modern
What was the ‘Great Smog’ of 1952?
severe smog in London that killed 4,000 people due to respiratory illness
Modern
What did the Clean Air Act of 1956 aim to do?
Reduce air pollution by promoting cleaner fuels and relocating power stations
Modern
What are some modern efforts to reduce air pollution?
Congestion charges (2003), park and ride schemes, and pollution warnings
Modern
What are some examples of unhealthy lifestyles and what does it lead to?
- eat to much, often the wrong food
- drink too much alchohol
- not enough exercise
- smoke too much
adds up and leads to obesity and ill health
obesity is one of the greatest causes of heart disease
Modern
What are 2 examples of modern fitness drives?
- Walking for Health - from the NHSm to take more exercise, to walk 10k steps a day
- Be Active - Birmingham City Council’s scheme to provide free leisure services
Modern
What are some healthy eating campaigns?
- ‘five-a-day’ - governments health messeages to attempt people to eat more fruit and vegetables to reduce risk of heart disease and cancer
- eat well guide - depicts a healthy balanced diet
