INTRODUCTION
Diseases accounted for many deaths in Britain during the industrial revolution. With a lack of hygiene, little knowledge of sanitary care and no knowledge as what actually cause the diseases, disease such as cholera, typhoid could be devastating. As Britain got more populated, more death occurred.
HEALTH BEFORE THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION
Cholera was one of the worst diseases during the industrial revolution. The disease was caused by contaminated water; it could spread very fast with very bad consequences. The cause was simple- sewage was being allowed to come into contact with drinking water and contaminating it. As many people in Britain used river water as their main source of drinking water, the disease spread very easily.
Since almost everybody in Britain had little knowledge of what caused these diseases, they believed that it was the miasma theory that caused all of these deaths. The miasma theory was simply bad air. Everybody in Britain from citizens to doctors accepted this theory. Of course this was not true.
Since almost everybody in Britain had little knowledge of what caused these diseases, they believed that it was the miasma theory that caused all of these deaths. The miasma theory was simply bad air. Everybody in Britain from citizens to doctors accepted this theory. Of course this was not true.
HEALTH AFTER THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION
After the industrial revolution, health got much better. During the industrial revolution a small group of scientists tried to prove the miasma theory wrong. John Snow used the early invention of the microscope to find germs in our body’s. He thought it was these germs that caused diseases. John Snow figured out that the patients with cholera were experiencing severe vomiting and diarrhea. He found out that the disease could have been transmitted through food or drink. He soon figured out that many of the deaths from cholera were located near a water pump. This meant that the water from the water pump had germs and bacteria inside its water. Then soon after Louis Pasteur invented the first vaccine for cholera near the end of the Industrial revolution.
TIMELINE OF MAIN EVENTS:
1853: Vaccination against small pox was made compulsory
1854: Improvements in hospital hygiene was introduced
1875: A public health act enforced laws about slum clearance, provision of sewers and clean water, and the removal of nuisances
1900: Cholera vaccination was invented
HOW THESE CHANGES PEOPLE'S LIVES IN BRITAIN
These changes that happened during the industrial revolution affected people’s lives massively. The cholera vaccination was invented near the 19th century. Since cholera was such a bad disease, when they made the vaccination, the death count for cholera went down massively. When scientists figured out that cholera was transmitted from contaminated water, Britain closed down the pumps and made sure that everyone was drinking fresh drinking water.