The health of the population in the UK in the Nineteenth Century was in a very poor state, the expected lifespan of a male was only 48 years of age. Only the people who could afford a doctor were able to have medical treatment there was total inequality. There was very poor standards of sanitation, education and housing this all had a huge impact on the general health of the nation. People started to organise their own health care in their own community, they clubbed together to arrange this. GPs, midwives and local councils attempted to improve the public health and to be able to provide a service for everyone, while scientist worked hard to find solutions to ill health. There were a number of influential factors during this period …show more content…
He did not accept the theory that Cholera was ‘airborne’ He proved his theory in 1849 during a Cholera outbreak in Soho. After careful investigation he was able to pin point the source of the outbreak to a water pump, once the handle was removed the outbreak diminished. His germ theory though was not widely accepted until 1860. He was also responsible for pioneering work in the field of anaesthetic. In 1853 he was responsible for the use of chloroform to Queen Victoria on the birth of her son and again for her daughter in 1857. He died at the age of 27 years due to a stroke. (Science museum 2016) Edwin Chadwick was one of the most important public health activists in the 1800s. He believed strongly in the miasma theories, that basically disease was airborne, his scientific studies showed a direct link in poor living conditions and ill health and life expectancy. His findings inspired the Public Health Act 1948. After being asked to investigate the effectiveness of the poor law act he was able to prove that measures such as cleaning, drainage and ventilation would improve people’s health resulting in lower demand on welfare. He was also knighted for his work in 1889 (City of Westminster Archives …show more content…
However the government underestimated the high numbers of people that would be using the hospital services and were forced to bring in charges for dental treatment and spectacles. To deal with the giant squalor the government started clearing the slums areas. Overcrowding was a major problem, lack of running water and sanitation, this was made worse after the bombings of the Second World War. The rebuilding of decent homes took place, providing hot water, indoor bathroom, toilet and kitchen. The government’s aim was to rebuild 200,000 homes a year. Most of these building were prefabricated and quickly assembled. (BBC