The 19th century brought tremendous advances in the diagnosis and treatment of many diseases, but Charles Booth’s investigations between 1886 and 1903 into the Life and Labor of the people in London revealed that approximately thirty percent of the population still lived in poverty. The average number of persons to an inhabited house in London and its neighboring urban districts increased compared with the numbers in 1891. By the end of the century, the overcrowding in London was almost thirty percent or sixteen per cent of the whole population. This happened mainly because quarters had been destroyed in accordance with the slum clearances. As a result the unhoused moved to other districts. It is said that more than 900,000 people lived in less than the 400 cubic feet prescribed by the Public Health Act. The statistics for London indicated deterioration, but the 1901 Census showed a decline in overcrowding in most English districts. The increase of inhabited houses in the ten years 1891-1901 was equal to 14.87 per cent, while the increase of population did not exceed 12.17 per cent. …show more content…
Reformers achieved the desired objectives, although some assumptions were proven to be wrong. At the end of the century, the average life expectancy at birth was 40 and rose to 50 at the end. This can be interpreted as a successful progress in the living standards.On the contrary, overcrowding and the high infant and child mortality remained a problem until the late