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P2- Describe public health policy in the UK from the 19th century to the present day
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Unit 31P2- Describe public health policy in the UK from the 19 th century to the present day
There is no doubt that health policy we have today is a lot better then what was around back in the 19th
century, technology has developed aiding us in public health policy and development of society as a
whole has made public health what is it today. But what was public health policy back in the 19th
century, how has it changed and what is it in the present day? Well, below I will carry out this task and
describe public health policy in the UK from the 19th century to the present day.
Public health policy
Work of John Snow
The work of John Snow in regards to public health and health in general has been attributed as great
success. John Snow is a famous, smart physician from London who spent a long time studying cholera, a
bacterial disease that spreads through contaminated water, untreated, being fatal within hours. During
the time of John Snow in the 1800s, a cholera outbreak occurred leaving many dead, in fact in 1831
according to parliament 32,000 deaths were caused by cholera. It was clear at this time, that something
needed to be done, before the whole population was whipped out and that’s exactly, what John Snow
did, he done something about the vast spreading cholera outbreak and solved it.
Cholera outbreaks were recorded across the UK, where the first epidemic struck London in 1831, and
again in 1848 ending in 1854. To take quick action on the outbreak, Snow began examining the victims
where he found the symptoms to be related to the gastrointestinal tract. After lengthy research and
careful investigation, involving plotting causes of cholera on a map of the area. Dr Snow was able to
identify a water pump situated in Broadwick street as the source of the disease. After finding his target,
Snow had the handle of the pump immediately removed, and cases of cholera immediately began to die
out and diminish.
Since the detrimental cholera outbreak, much has been done to ensure such events do not happen
again, but what was Snows cause behind the cholera outbreak. Well, Snow believed sewage dumped
into the river or into cesspools near town wells could contaminate the water supply, leading to a rapid
spread of disease. The works of Snow are accredited greatly to this day, which moves me onto another
famous figure Edwin Chadwick.
, Work of Edwin Chadwick
Edwin Chadwick was brought up and born in Manchester in the year 1800. He trained to become a
lawyer in London however, became interested in social reform and politics and is now known as one of
the most important health activists of the 1800s. Chadwick has had much to do with public health and
legalisation, in fact his works attributed to amendments and the new Poor Law Act 1834. He did his work
looking into the living conditions of the poor and he believed that active measures such as cleaning,
drainage and ventilation would make the population healthier and less dependent on welfare.
Around the works of Snow in the cholera outbreak, Chadwick appeared in the cholera outbreak in 1831,
and later in 1837 and 1838 in influenza a type of flu and typhoid a bacterial infection epidemics.
Chadwick’s role and his ideas on the improvement of public health, lead to the government asking
Chadwick to enquire into sanitation. Which prompted his publication of The Sanitary Conditions of the
Labouring population in 1842, where he used various methods to show a consistent direct link between
poor living conditions and disease and life expectancy. Again, his hard work and investigation lead to
another law, known as the Public Health Act 1848.
The works of Chadwick are amazing, they changed the way we perceive public health to this day. His
efforts in public health lead to sanitation, clean water, improving drainage systems and the overall
improvement of public health. He concluded that three things were needed to improve health, refuse
removal, an effective sewage system and cleaning running water in every house and a qualified medical
officer appointed to each area.
For some years nothing happened, in fact Chadwick’s efforts and reports were strongly opposed by
many MP’s, as his changes would increase rates, which was unpopular with the richer citizens, however,
after the cholera outbreak, the government changed there minds and set up a board to deal with the
matters Chadwick assessed.
The sanitary movement
The sanitary movement was movement developed in the UK in the 1830s and 40s. The sanitary
movement was pioneered by the famous Edwin Chadwick, following his report on The Sanitary
Conditions of the Labouring Population in 1842. The sanitary movement was the first to define itself as a
public health movement having a vast impact on society of the tine. The movements focus was on the
cities that had sprung up with urbanization (the process of making an area more urban) and the
industrial revolution as these were the areas were epidemic diseases and poor sanitation occurred as
the industrial cities were where poor sanitation was prevalent. The sanitary movement lead to the
development of sewers around the city of London, in fact, many of the sewers built during the sanitary
movement are the sewers that still sit beneath the streets of London too this day.
The movement and importance of sanitation that was expressed during these times, has influenced
public health ever since and without the works of Edwin Chadwick and John Snow who knows what
would of happened to the UK population and sanitation back in the ever so socially unfair 1800s.
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