Health 3.3 Improvements in Public Health Flashcards
1
Q
What were conditions like in 19th century Britain? (HE 3.3)
A
- 1 factory, 100+ workers.
- 5+ per room in a home.
- Few toilets in homes.
- Drinking water and sewage mixed.
- No rubbish collections and street cleaning.
2
Q
Why did typhoid, TB and cholera spread rapidly in 19th century Britain? (HE 3.3)
A
- Typhoid and Cholera moved in contaminated water and food, when sewage entered the water supply.
- TB spread through the air, and was bad in overcrowded places.
3
Q
How severe were 19th century cholera outbreaks? Why were they so poorly handled? (HE 3.3)
A
- 1831, Cholera killed 50,000 people.
- Further outbreaks in 1837/38, 1848, 1853/54, and 1865/66.
- Was not understood to be waterborne, so people didn’t know how to prepare.
4
Q
What were they key points of Chadwick’s report? How did the government react? (HE 3.3)
A
- Disease comes from bad air, damp filth and overcrowding.
- People needed appointed medical officers in a district.
- Better laws and healthier habits would create a better workforce.
-The government did nothing, believing in not interfering.
5
Q
What caused the 1848 public health act? What did it do? Why did it close? (HE 3.3)
A
- A cholera epidemic the same year killing 60,000.
- Set up a central and local boards of health, allowing towns to manage health and cleaning.
- In 5 years, only 103 towns set up a board, and the central board closed.
6
Q
What was the Great Stink? How did Bazalgette handle it by 1866? (HE 3.3)
A
- Summer 1858, heat wave caused the Thames to stink.
- Parliament gave Bazalgette enough to build a sewage system for the whole city.
- 83 miles of sewer capable of handling 420m gallons was built by 1866.
7
Q
What happened with the 1867 vote and 1875 public health act? (HE 3.3)
A
- Working class men were given the vote in 1867.
- Public health act declared local councils would have medical officers, must build sewers for fresh water, and collect rubbish.
