Health and Housing Flashcards
Describe the living conditions in the late 18th century and early 19th century
The rising population lead to a shortage in housing
Then overcrowding and filth
Houses were quickly and cheaply built- often had no widows- poor ventilation, dark and cold
No running water- had to be collected from a standpipe that was often contaminated
Toilet was shared- would often overflow
No refuse collection- piles of rubbish
Drains and sewers weren’t good- stagnant water
What were the reasons for poor health?
Lack of sanitation
Lack of rubbish disposal
Overcrowding
Poor housing
Poor diet
Lack of medical care/knowledge
Give reasons for the improved living conditions by 1914
Public health act
1855 Nuisance Removal act
1875 Artisans and labourers’ Dwelling act
Local authorities provided pavements, better streets, street lights, parks and libraries
New inventions
Give examples of new inventions which helped improve life
Electric light
Flushing toilets
Coal burning kitchen ranges
Railways
Describe the public health acts
gave local authorities the right to.
provide sewers/ drains,
a rubbish collection,
clean water,
cleaner streets,
more public baths
toilets
sanitary inspectors and medical officers
Describe the 1855 Nuisance Removal Act
gave local authorities the right to clean or close properties that were a danger to people’s health
Describe the 1875 Artisans and Labourers Dwelling Act
helped local authorities improve housing by giving them the right to pull down slum properties
How did railways improve living conditions for the middle class?
railways made it possible for the more wealthy to leave the inner cities and settle downwind in the less polluted suburbs
Food and other materials could be transported
Reasons for improvements in public health by 1914
Public health acts
1855 Nuisance Removal act
1875 Artisans and labourers’ Dwelling act
local authorities built new hospitals/ improve old ones
Improved diet
Medical Advances
How did people’s diets improve
Change sun farming methods- more food and healthier, more varied diet
Fresh food could be transported using railways
What were the medical advances like?
vaccination against smallpox became compulsory for all babies in 1853
-reduced infant deaths
anaesthetics and antiseptics gave
patients a much better chance of surviving surgery
cleanliness and nursing- improved survival
cures had been found for the killer diseases like
cholera and drugs were being developed to help reduce the suffering
What were the effects of improvements of health and living conditions?
diseases such as cholera and typhus were greatly reduced
overcrowding was still bad - local authorities could pull down slums but not enough new houses were built
too many people still lived in houses with inadequate facilities
diseases such as diphtheria, measles, whooping cough and scarlet fever were still common
Describe the domestic system…
At the start of the 18th century workers and their families would work in their own homes on hand-powered machines
Cloth makers bought wool from nearby sheep farmers.
Spinners- women and girls spun it into thread.
When the cloth makers handed over the raw wool, the spinners gave them thread
The cloth makers paid them for their work and took the thread back home and made cloth
Why were new machines produced?
Population grew
- demand for cloth increased
More raw cotton was imported
There was too much for spinner and weavers to process
inventors produced new machines/ improved old ones to speed up the work
Name the new inventions
1733 John Kay’s Flying Shuttle.
1764 Hargreaves’ Spinning Jenny.
1769 Arkwright’s Water Frame.
1779 Crompton’s Mule
1785 Cartwright’s power loom.
Describe The flying shuttle
1733 John Kay’s Flying Shuttle.
Speeded up weaving.
Describe the spinning Jenny
1764 Hargreaves’ Spinning Jenny.
Speeded up spinning.
Describe Arkwright’s Water Frame
1769 Arkwright’s Water Frame.
Spun faster and made stronger, thinner
thread.
Driven by a water wheel.
Describe Crompton’s Mule
1779 Crompton’s Mule.
Improved spinning.
Often powered by a steam engine.
Describe Cartwright’s power loom
1785 Cartwright’s power loom.
Weaving – could use all of the yarn spun
by one mule.
Driven by a steam engine.
Why were mills set up?
New machines were too big and need too much power for people’s homes
brought all the workers together in one place
Where were the mills set up?
On the banks of streams with a good flow as they used a water wheel to drive the machines
How did the speed spinners and weavers work at and time they were given differ when working in a mill?
Spinner and weavers had to keep up with the machines whereas at home they could work at a speed that suited them best and take rests
What were the conditions in a factory like?
They were very warm as cold air would make the thread brittle
Accidents were common as there were no health and safety regulations
Hours were very long
Workers could be beaten if they were not working hard enough
What were jobs like in the mills?
Many women worked in cloth mills
Women could look after spinning frames, power looms bad carding machines
Skilled well-paid jobs such as mule spinning were reserved for men
Young children worked as piercers- mending broken threads- crawled under machines
Describe why factory acts were made?
People tried to persuade MP’s to pass a law limiting the working day.
MPs believed they had no right to limit working hours for adults- works and employees could decide themselves
Some MPs became concerned when they discovered that children were working more that 12 hours
Some factory owners took orphans and made them work for them
MPs made acts limiting hours of work for children
Unfortunately some of the people enforcing the acts owned factories so did not properly enforce the laws
Explain the factory act of 1833
And comment on 2 issues with them
Children under 9- not to work in textile mills
Reduced working hours of people aged 9-18
No one under 18 was to do night work
4 inspectors appointed
Difficult to prove how old a child was
Not enough inspectors
Describe the factory act of 1836
Give a comment on why it was good
Births, marriages and deaths had to be registered.
Made it easier to check the age of workers.
Describe the factory act of 1844
Give a comment on why it was good
Reduced working hours of people aged 8-18 and women
Machinery was fenced
Made factories safer
Describe the factory act of 1847
Give comment on why it was good
Young people and women to work no more than 10 h.p.d.
Working hours for young people and women now reduced. People now worked in shifts.
