Medicine 19th and 20th Century-Public Health Flashcards
Which disease caused a large number of deaths during the 19th Century?
Cholera
What happened to towns during the Industrial Revolution?
They grew massively, this led to overcrowding and poor living conditions for the working class
Why was nothing really done about public health in the early 19th century?
- Governments did not think it was their responsibility, they had a Laissez-faire attitude.
- It was difficult to get fresh food into the towns
- There was a charge for medical care and doctors wanted to make money.
- Germ theory had not been published
- There was a belief that people should help themselves.
When did Edwin Chadwick publish his ‘Report on the Sanitary Conditions of the Labouring Population’?
1842
What did Chadwick find out about the working class?
They live in overcrowded dirty conditions and this causes illness. Many people are too sick too work and many people would have to pay higher taxes to help the poor.
Give two suggestions made by Chadwick
Improving drainage and sewers, removing refuse from the street, providing clean water, appointing medical officers to check reforms.
What did Chadwick’s report lead to?
The Public Health Act 1848
What was one limitation of Chadwick’s work?
He still believed in miasma (bad air), some councils did not change anything even after the second Public Health Act of 1875.
Which other individual helped prove the link between unhealthy living conditions and high death rate?
William Farr-he collected information about births, deaths and marriages.
What did John Snow say about cholera in 1849?
It was spread by dirty water and not bad air.
How did John Snow prove that cholera was spread by dirty water?
He mapped out deaths around his surgery on Broad Street. This resulted in the removal of the pump handle from the water pump in Broad street.
What was the hot summer of 1858 also known as?
The Great Stink
What was the Reform Act 1867?
This gave working men the vote
Which scientist had an impact on public health?
Louis Pasteur’s germ theory
What was the result of the Great Stink?
The Great Clean-up-the Public Health Act of 1875 made it compulsory for local councils to improve sewers and drainage. Other laws were passed to also improve standard of living.
What was built in 1865 by Joseph Bazalgette?
He designed and built London’s sewer system.
What other inventions also helped public health to improve?
The flushing lavatory and soap.
Which political party was elected in 1906?
The Liberals
Which social reformer completed a study on the conditions of the working class in York?
Seebohm Rowntree
Which war impacted the Government’s decision to act on public health?
Boer war-realised that the nation was unfit and couldn’t protect the country, social reformers.
Which act gave money to the elderly?
1909 Old Age Pensions Act
Which act provided meals for children?
1906-provision of school meals
Which act was set up in 1911 that enabled workers to get medical help and sick pay if they could not afford to work?
1911-National Insurance Act-workers paid into this and in return they would get sick pay and medical help.
Why did the government introduce a Housing Act in 1919?
They had promised workers fit for heroes following the First World War.
What was the name of the report published in 1942 that showed that Britain still had a number of social problems?
The Beveridge Report
When was the NHS (National Health Service) set up?
1948
Why did some people oppose the NHS?
Doctors didn’t want to lose money and freedom to treat people who paid them, some people believed people were poor due to laziness, some Local councils did not want the government to get involved.
Which war did Mary Seacole and Florence Nightingale get involved in?
The Crimean War
Who changed the way that hospitals were run during the Crimean War?
Florence Nightingale
Who treated soldiers on the battlefield in the Crimea?
Mary Seacole
What else helped hospitals to change?
technology-better sewer systems, individual genius-Pasteur’s germ theory
Rubbish in the street, dirty water, no sewers
This source was published to show people that dirty water from the pumps caused cholera and that people needed to act.
Which Liberal MP helped bring in the National Insurance Act in 1911 and was later to become the Prime Minister of Britain?
David Lloyd-George.