Cholera epidemics
Cholera was a disease that spread through towns and cities in 19th-century England. It was caused by contaminated water or food.
Watch to find out about the pioneering work Edwin Chadwick and John Snow undertook to improve public health.
Edwin Chadwick
Edwin Chadwick was a lawyer who wanted to reform the conditions poor people lived in. He carried out research into the living conditions in different parts of the country. This work was put together in his Report on the Sanitary Conditions of the Labouring Population of Great Britain in 1842. The report highlighted the impact of public health conditions and wealth on life expectancy.
Chadwick found that labourers who lived in northern towns and cities, such as Bolton, Liverpool and Manchester, had a life expectancy of just 15-19 years. In contrast, people living in rural northern areas, such as Rutland, and who worked in a professional trade had a life expectancy of 52 years.
Chadwick wanted the government to take action. He said the government should ensure a clean water supply for everyone and invest in proper sanitation systems.
The idea that the government should be involved in public health was rare in the 19th century. Many people accepted this Translated as ‘leave well alone’ or ‘let the people choose’. A government policy of interfering as little as possible in social and economic policy. attitude and did not want the government interfering in their lives. This view is reflected in a letter sent to The Times newspaper in 1852. It helps to explain why there was a reluctance from the government to make public health reforms compulsory:
“We prefer to take our chance with cholera than be bullied into health. There is nothing a man hates so much as being cleansed against his will or having his floor swept, his hall whitewashed, his dung heaps cleared away and his thatch forced to give way to slate.”
1848 Public Health Act
In 1848, the government responded to Chadwick’s report and passed a Public Health Act. The act set up a Central Board of Health to oversee the improvement of public health. This meant that:
- Local authorities could set up a local board of health to oversee public health. If an area had a The death rate as a result of a particular cause. higher than 23 per 1,000 people, the local authority had to set up a board.
- The local board of health could then raise taxes to pay for clean water supplies and new sewerage systems.
The act was limited in that there was little funding and the local boards of health were usually not compulsory. However, it was an important first step in the government taking action to improve public health.
