Industrial Britain and the people's health, c.1750-c.1900 - OCR BCholera and other diseases

Deadly diseases were widespread in industrial towns. Most of these were not new diseases, but they became much worse during this period because of the poor living and working conditions. In addition, children were particularly vulnerable to infectious diseases such as smallpox, measles and whooping cough. However, in 1831, a new disease reached Britain - cholera. By 1865, there had been four cholera epidemics and over 100,000 people had died.

Cholera

Cholera originated in Asia and spread via trade routes. It arrived in the north east of Britain in October 1831.

Symptoms

Cholera caused:

• vomiting
• stomach cramps
• watery, yellow diarrhoea
• rapid dehydration
• weakened pulse
• bluing of the skin

Victims often died within 24 hours of being infected.

Impact

Cholera spreads rapidly through contaminated water. People caught it when they drank water infected with the excrement of people carrying the disease. It is estimated that:

• over 30,000 people died from the disease in the 1831-1832 epidemic
• a second epidemic in 1848-1849 killed over 60,000 people

Further outbreaks in 1853-1854 and 1865-1866 were less severe. However, overall, the disease claimed the lives of over 100,000 people.

Other diseases in early industrial Britain

Average age at death

These diseases, caused by appalling living conditions, meant that many people died prematurely. There was a high death rate among babies and children aged under five. This meant that the average age of death in some areas was as low as 14.

The table below shows the average ages at death of different groups of people according to statistics collected in 1840. As Liverpool was a large, industrial city and Rutland was a rural area, the figures show the impacts that wealth and location had on the average age of death.