The work of Edwin Chadwick and Dr John Snow
Edwin Chadwick
In the 1840s, attitudes began to change. Edwin Chadwick was a civil servant employed by the The body set up by government to supervise the help given to the poor out of local taxes called rates. He was asked by Parliament to investigate living conditions in Britain.
His 1842 Report on the Sanitary Conditions of the Labouring Population concluded that much poverty and ill health was caused by terrible living conditions and not by idleness. This shocked people and changed public opinion.
Statistics in the report such as those below showed just how unhealthy industrial towns and cities were, even for the wealthier inhabitants. The statistics compare Manchester (an industrial city) with Rutland (a rural area).
Chadwick concluded that three main things were needed to improve health:
- refuse removal
- an effective sewerage system and clean running water in every house
- a qualified medical officer appointed in each area
For a few years, little changed. Chadwick’s report was strongly opposed by many Members of Parliament, who were nicknamed the Dirty Party. Chadwick’s recommendations meant that councils would have to increase the A payment made by householders to their local council. and this would be unpopular with the better-off citizens.
It was the A bacterial infection caused by contaminated drinking water. epidemic of 1848 that led to a change of mind in government. During this outbreak, 52,000 people died in England and Wales, with 14,137 in London alone.
The 1848 Public Health Act set up the Board of Health. Local authorities were given the power to appoint an officer of health, who had to be a doctor. They could also improve sanitation in their area by organising the collection of rubbish, building sewers and providing a clean water supply. However, because this law was not compulsory, the Board of Health could not force councils to act on its recommendations.
Dr John Snow
In 1854, cholera struck again. In London, Dr John Snow studied the spread of cholera in the Broad Street area. He noticed that the victims had all drunk water from the pump in the street. He persuaded local officials to stop people using the pump and the number of cases fell rapidly.
By observation, Snow had shown the link between bad water and cholera. He discovered that the Broad Street water pump supply was next to a sewage drain. Neither were properly lined so the bacteria from the sewage, including cholera, were seeping into the water supply that people were drinking. He had shown that if people had access to clean water, then disease would be reduced.
In 1858, London was affected by the A period of hot weather that exacerbated the smell of raw sewage and industrial pollution in the River Thames. Soon after, work began on the London sewerage system. By the time it was completed, 13,000 miles of pipes had been laid, under the direction of Joseph Bazalgette, the chief engineer. However, relatively few councils followed London’s example. By 1872 only 50 councils had medical officers of health. The huge cost of carrying out improvements was the biggest obstacle.
