The Great Stink and public health reforms
The summer of 1858 was warm and dry. As a result, the water level of the River Thames dropped. This meant the sewage and waste that were being dumped in the river were no longer being quickly washed away.
The resulting smell was awful and became such a problem that the The place where all of the country鈥檚 laws are made. were closed. Smells from decomposing material, such as animal and human waste, that were thought to cause disease. theory was still widely believed. As a result, people cleaned the walls of their homes with A cleaning substance, similar to bleach. Used to remove smells people thought were causing disease through miasma. to take away the smell.
The event became known as the Great Stink.
Joseph Bazalgette
As a result of the Great Stink, the government invested in the construction of a new sewerage system for London. This was designed by Joseph Bazalgette. The new system was designed in 1858 and completed in 1875.
The system was built in response to the Great Stink. However, it also resulted in the end of significant A bacterial infection caused by contaminated drinking water. outbreaks in London.
1875 Public Health Act and other reforms
Following John Snow鈥檚 work on cholera and Louis Pasteur鈥檚 publication of germ theory, there was conclusive proof that cleaning up towns and cities would improve the health of the people who lived in them. There was now clear evidence that if public health systems were improved, lives would be saved. This marked a move away from a Translated as 鈥榣eave well alone鈥 or 鈥榣et the people choose鈥. A government policy of interfering as little as possible in social and economic policy. attitude.
In 1875, Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli鈥檚 government passed a second Public Health Act. This went further than the act of 1848. It said that local authorities had to provide clean water supplies, build sewerage systems and appoint a medical officer.
Disraeli introduced further reforms in 1875-1876:
- The 1875 Artisans鈥 and Labourers鈥 Dwellings Improvement Act brought in new standards for housing quality.
- The 1875 Sale of Food and Drugs Act tightened laws around food labelling.
- The 1876 Rivers Pollution Prevention Act aimed to clean up rivers and the water supply.
Charles Booth
In 1889, the social reformer Charles Booth decided to investigate the levels of poverty in London. He produced a colour-coded map that showed the divide between wealthier and poorer areas of the city.
Booth found that 35 per cent of people lived in extreme poverty, even though many of them had full-time jobs. This number was much higher than people had previously believed. It showed that despite the reforms of public health in 1875-1876, more still needed to be done.