Public Health Improvements in the 19th C

1. Public Health Improvements in the 19th C

2. What can we learn from the source about health in 19th century towns?

3. Recap from last lesson • Why towns grew rapidly • Laissez faire. • What effect this had on living conditions. • Cholera • The cure for cholera is found.

4. Why then do the government pass the 1848 PUBLIC HEALTH ACT. • There was a long lead up to this.

6. Timeline. • 1834: poor law Amendment Act: medical officers were appointed to workhouses which provided medical care for the really poor. • 1842….. Chadwick’s report.

7. Edwin Chadwick1842 • Edwin Chadwick had been worried about the high death rates linked to cholera. • 1842 he publishes a report into the living conditions of the poor. • He suggested that • THE GOVERNMENT SHOULD TAKE RESPONSIBILTY FOR PUBLIC HEALTH

8. This should be paid for by raising a tax to pay for improvements to poor housing. • He linked the high death rates to poor living conditions. • He found death rates in the city were far higher than in the country. (life expectancy was almost double in rural England.)

9. REACTION! • Government initially do not listen to the recommendations of the report. • But Cholera forces their hand. • 1846: Government conduct their own report………. This RESULTS in the 1848 PUBLIC Health Act.

10. What was it: • The Act proposed some PERMISSIVE CHANGES. • A central board of health was established. • Local councils were now to assume responsibility for drainage, water supplies and the removal of “nuisances” and paving etc. • Non Corporate towns should set up Boards of health. • Improvements were to be financed by rates. • Local BOARDS of HEALTH HAD TO BE SET UP IN LOCATIONS WHERE CHOLERA KILLED MORE THAN 23 PER 1000 DEATHS!

11. Medical officers were to be appointed in towns. • Inspections were to made to lodgings • Food that was for sale was to be inspected.

12. Timeline • 1853: Vaccinations were now made COMPULSORY.. BUT NO ONE WAS GIVEN THE POWER TO ENFORCE IT! • 1855: Nuisance removal act: This made overcrowding houses illegal! • THE GREAT STINK!!!!! This brings it all home to the rich! • 1864: Factory act: This make unhealthy factory conditions illegal. • 1866: SANITARY ACT: This made local authorities responsible for sewers , water and street cleaning. • 1868 ACT: This encouraged the improvement of slums or their demolition. • 1871: vaccination act: this forced the previous law to be obeyed.

13. WEAKNESSES. • Responsibility was STILL OPTIONAL. The Board often met resistance to their orders. • London, Scotland, and Ireland were all excluded from the ACT. • There were too many boards and there were too many organizations that did not communicate. • The central board had NO money. • The issue of Public health was STILL NOT A MINISTERIAL responsibility.

15. THE 1875 PUBLIC HEALTH ACT. • COMPULSARY! UNLIKE 1848! • Again this is forced by cholera! • This was passed at the same time as THE ARTISAN DWELLING ACT. • This made house owners responsible for keeping their properties in good order. It also allowed the local authorities to purchase and demolish anything that was not improved..

16. Town Improvers. Philanthropists. Not all landlords were greedy and money grabbing Many were religious.

17. George Cadbury Built Bournville in Birmingham For the workers in his chocolate Factory….. He was a Quaker. A dry town. Happy worker is a hard worker!

18. Octavia Hill

19. Unusual for her time as she had a lot of money.Built good houses for dock workers in the East End of London.

20. Titus Salt • He owned a textile factory and wanted workers to be near by. • Again a Quaker. • He built Saltaire.

21. W.H.Lever • Had a soap factory. • Quaker • Built Port Sunlight.