Public Health

Question 1

Why nothing was done to protect public health in early 1800s

7 things

Answer 1

1. Pasteur’s germ theory was not published till 1860s and pasteurisation didn’t become public knowledge until 1880s as people though boiling things killed the goodness
2. town grew very fast and landlords made profits from renting them so wanted to build them quickly- as anyone who owned land could build on it without planning permission and there were no building standards regulations- very poor quality housing
3. railways weren’t built so people had to live close to their work
4. belief that people should help themselves - laissez-faire
5. governments weren’t expected to play a big role in the living and working conditions of the people.]
6. doctors weren’t paid for by governments so had to charge patients,so the poor couldn’t go to doctors
7. Fresh food was difficult to bring into towns and was expensive- a lot of food was mixed with other things to increase mass so they could make more money.

Question 2

Results of industrial revolution

5 things

Answer 2

1. life expectancy was much lower in towns then countryside
2. Filthy towns- sewage was discharged in rivers, overflowing cesspits or in the streets. smoke from houses and factories filled the air.
3. no laws forcing councils to provide sewers, fresh water or toilets in homes. Houses were crowded which lead to disease spreading quickly.
4. epidemics of typhus, typhoid and cholera
5. Working conditions were very bad- long hours, short breaks, many people fell ill form the work- swallowing coal and textile dust caused lung cancer

Question 3

effect on health of different classes

2 things

Answer 3

1. wealthy were better as they could afford to live in the suburbs
2. but both were victim to cholera

Question 4

edwin chadwick

5 things

Answer 4

1. he published his report in 1942, his idea was that improving public health provision would save money rather than cost money.
2. the report o sickness and mortality shocked some people and people campaigned for improvements and in 1944 the Health of Towns association was set up.
3. the led the government to introduce the Public Health Bill which was first opposed but was finally passed when a new cholera outbreak struck.
4. He pushed for more to be done and he wanted to force all towns to make changes.
5. More outbreaks of cholera proved he was right and the government passed the 1975 public health act.

Question 5

Opposition to 1st public health act

2 things

Answer 5

1. by rate-payers who didn’t want to pay for improvements.

2. the government knew local councils didn’t want the national government interfering in local matters.

Question 6

Chadwick’s negative impact

4 things

Answer 6

1. 1942 report didn’t come into effect till 1948
2. 1948 public health act did not force councils to reform public health
3. His personality antagonised people and did not win support for his cause.
4. his influence faded in the 1950s

Question 7

1st public health act

4 things

Answer 7

1. A national board for health was set up
2. where death rates were high, the government could force the local council to make PH improvements to water supply and sewerage and appoint a Medical Officer for Health.
3. local councils were encouraged to collect taxes for PH improvements if they had support from local rate-payers.
4. councils were allowed to appoint Medical Officers for Health to oversee PH.

Question 8

John Snow

3 things

Answer 8

1. He discovered connection between contaminated water and cholera in 1954
2. he studied the occurrence of a cholera outbreak in the broad street area of London.- he noticed that the victims all used the same water pump so he removed the pump and stopped the outbreak.
3. but this didn’t lead to a new health act enforcing change as many scientists still clung to the miasma theory

Question 9

The Great Stink

4 things

Answer 9

1. cesspits in London would sometimes overflow
2. introduction of flush toilets increased the volume of water entering the cesspits so more overflowed and drained into the Thames.
3. in summer 1958 the hot weather caused the river’s water level to drop and bacteria to grow in the waste, producing a smell which affected large parts of London including the Houses of Parliament.
4. Heavy rain eventually cleared it, but this persuaded the government to take quicker action on building a sewer system then they would have.

Question 10

Joseph Bazalgette

2 things

Answer 10

1. in 1959 he built a big sewer system for London, which collected waste being dumped in the Thames and transported it to the Thames estuary (away from a heavily populated area)
2. the sewers helped to stop cholera outbreaks and his design became the blueprint for most cities

Question 11

Cholera

3 things

Answer 11

1. 1831-32, 1848, 1853, 1866.
2. the fear of cholera persuaded the government to pass the 1st public health act
3. and then the second.

Question 12

The germ theory

2 things

Answer 12

1. Pasteur conducted a series of public experiments that convinced most scientists that diseases were caused by bacteria.
2. Faced with scientific proof people were more willing to pay taxes to cover the costs of public health reforms, fresh water supply, good sewers, public toilets.

Question 13

Reform act

5 things

Answer 13

1. before governments had been unwilling to make public health acts compulsory.
2. the only voters were wealthy land-owners and well-off middle classes- the people who would have to pay more if public health reforms became compulsory. Governments didn’t want to offend these men and risk losing the election
3. in 1867 working men in towns were given the right to vote for the first time, and in 1884 working men in countries were allowed to vote
4. Politicians wanted to win elections so had to promise laws to win votes of working men not just the wealthy.
5. New laws past in 1870s and 1880s including 2nd public health act

Question 14

Second public health act

2 things

Answer 14

1. it made it compulsory for local councils to improve sewers and drainage, provide fresh water supplies and to appoint Medical Officers and sanitary inspectors.
2. Other laws were passed that; stopped pollution of rivers, shortened the working hours in factories for women and children, made education compulsory.

Question 15

Reasons for opposition for government intervention

4 things

Answer 15

1. little understanding of the cause of disease
2. the cost to ratepayers
3. attack on freedom
4. ideas of self-help and personal responsibilty

Question 16

The Artisans’ Dwellings Act

2 things

Answer 16

1. in 1875 Disraeli brought in the Artisans’ Dwellings Act which allowed for the compulsory purchase of slum housing and rebuilding by local councils
2. the act owed work to Octavia Hill who was concerned with the terrible conditions in which people were living. Hill was also determined that people should have access to green spaces.for their health.

Question 17

Sale of Food and Drugs act

1 things

Answer 17

1. introduced in 1875 by Disraeli, it prevented the sale of certain drugs and any food with harmful ingredients.

Question 18

River Pollution Act

1 thing

Answer 18

1. It was passed in 1876 and prevented people from dumping sewage or industrial waste in the rivers.

Question 19

Joseph Chamberlain

5 things

Answer 19

1. He became Birmingham mayor in 1873 and oversaw many reforms
2. he persuaded the city authorities to by the local gas and water companies so that they could make sure the city’s inhabitants had a good supply of both
3. He founded the Drainage Board and introduced new drainage systems.
4. He used the artisan’s act to start an ambitious project to clear a large area of the city’s slums. he wanted to build a new street in their place that would attract shops and offices. he raised funds for the scheme and donated £10000 of his own money
5. many inhabitants had to relocate but not all slums were destroyed some were kept and improved

Question 20

Model villages

5 things

Answer 20

1. the Cadburys tried to provide quality homes and improve lifestyles for workers at their factory in Bournville near Birmingham.
2. Titus Salt did a similar thing in Saltaire in Yorkshire
3. In Merseyside the Lever Brothers built Port Sunlight for their workers- a model village with 800 homes, schools, a church, a hospital and a art gallery.
4. These philanthropist business men were great examples of how to make money and treat your workers well.
5. Many workers organised Friendly Societies which were linked to trade unions. Workers paid a subscription each week and in return received medical help and other benefits.

Question 21

Charles Booth

3 things

Answer 21

1. He published the first edition of Life and Labour of the People in 1889.
2. It showed that 30% of people in London were living in severe poverty and that it was sometimes impossible fro people to find work, however hard they tried.
3. He also showed that wages for some jobs were so low that they weren’t enough to support a family

Question 22

Seebohm Rowntree

3 things

Answer 22

1. He had a factory in York and didn’t believe the problem was as bad there as in London- so he did a survey of the living conditions.
2. His report- Poverty, a Study of Town Life, published in 1901 showed that 28% of people in York were so poor they couldn’t afford basic food or heating.
3. Rowntree’s report heavily influences David Lloyd George and his reforms.
4. his report linked poverty and ill health

Question 23

The Workhouse

3 things

Answer 23

1. There was no unemployment benefit the only help provided was workhouses
2. they provided basic food and lodging in exchange for working long hours in brutal conditions.
3. Many people feared going but it was often the only place available for health care.

Question 24

The Boer War

2 things

Answer 24

1. It broke out in 1899, army officers found that 40% of volunteers were unfit for military service- mostly due to poverty-related illnesses, linked with poor diet and living conditions.
2. Similar problems were encountered in the 1st world war and Britain like the Roman Empire realised it needed a healthy population to have an efficient army

Question 25

German Welfare state

3 things

Answer 25

1. Old age pensions, accident insurance and medical care.
2. In Britain no-one wanted to do it as they thought it would cost to much money and ruin the economy.
3. But in Germany the economy grew a lot and disproved that.

Question 26

New Liberal Government

3 things

Answer 26

1. In 1906 the liberal party were elected with a landslide majority.
2. the Minority Report, the success of the Labour Party and the pressure from the general public all encouraged the Liberals to bring in new laws to deal with poverty.
3. The Liberals competed with Labour for the support of working-class voters which led to the emergence of ‘new liberalism’ which favoured government intervention to help the poor

Question 27

Children support

3 things

Answer 27

1. 1906- School Meals Act allowed LEAs to supply free school meals paid out of rates.
2. in 1907- LEAs started giving children at their school free medical inspections and clinics were built to hold these inspections (1912)
3. 1908- Parliament passed the Children and Young Persons’ Act- to give children legal protections- prevented children under the age of 16 to buy cigarettes or go to the pub.

Question 28

Old people support

Answer 28

1. 1908 Old Age Pensions Act was introduced
2. For people over 70 on low incomes, you didn’t have to pay money in to get a pension, they were paid by money raised through taxes.
3. if you were very well off you wouldn’t receive a pension at all

Question 29

Sick or unemployed help

Answer 29

1. 1909- Labour Exchanges Act- set up job centre for the unemployed- Churchill and Beveridge
2. 1911- National Insurance Act- part 1 health insurance- each week workers, employers and the government paid into a central fund. this allowed people to get sick pay and workers were entitled to medical attention.
3. Part 2 Unemployment benefit- for a few trades like construction where workers were regularly out of work for long periods. it was contributory scheme.

Question 30

effects of reforms

Answer 30

1. Lloyd George decided to raise taxes which he proposed in the 1909 budget which was supported by Churchill.
2. It was designed to tax the rich more heavily than the poor