Theu.s. History : Analytical Paper

“People who found a settlement naturally choose a neglected part of the city and therefore problems of municipal hygiene become very important to them.” Settlements are placed in the most impoverished parts of the city where streets are dirtier than most, garbage is rarely collected, houses are very unsanitary, and people are more prone to diseases. In 1902, it was reported that death rate of typhoid had doubled since the year before. Once investigated it was found that flies in the sewage disposals were carrying infections like typhoid and cholera. This lead to sanitary reforms and cleaning out the disease infected neighborhoods. “Many things will probably come to their attention as needing to be righted, but they will not be obliged to work single-handed against the more or less open opposition of officials whose neglect is responsible for the evils they are trying to reform.” It was also noted that Department of Health received many complaints of the sanitation problems in these neighborhoods but had been ignored. With the help of the Hull House and the public who have witnessed the problems, the department finally saw the problem which lead to many more reforms. The Hull House also helped pass the first child labor laws and factory laws after investigations into the sweat

The industrialisation of Britain’s towns and cities had a detrimental effect on the people who came to live there. Living conditions in the 1800s were incredibly unequal. The rich and powerful factory owners would live out in the quiet peaceful countryside with lots of creature comforts, whilst their workers would return into smelly, dirty and minuscule back-to-back terraces at the end of a long working day. These homes were usually built with no inside toilets or running water. People either washed in a tin bath or at a pump outside. Many people decided not to wash at all as it was the easiest option. There was a

Edwin Chadwick was a British official who significantly influenced the discussion about public health care in the 19th century. It was his personal believe that diseases were a direct result of the poor living conditions. In his Report into the Sanitary Conditions of the Laboring Population of Great Britain (1842) he revealed that the sewage and drainage systems in poverty areas were disorganized or not available. In many cases the water supply was provided by a shared pump at the end of the road which was unfiltered and therefore often polluted. In addition, the streets were rarely paved, which caused muddy streets and dirty water ponds. It was common that a group of households shared the same privy which was the ideal breeding ground for

On the other end of the society scale, the working poor were working and living in unbearable conditions. There were no irrigation systems, running water or any way of preserving hygiene in the homes or the factories. The working poor lived in slums and tenements which were breeding grounds for diseases. In the book, “The Condition of the Working-Class in England in 1844” by Friedrich Engels, he states, “...at the end of the covered passage, a privy without a door, so dirty that the inhabitants can pass into and out of the court only by passing through foul pools of stagnant urine and excrement.” (page 78)1. This gives us a peek into the horrible unsanitary conditions that the working class were forced to endure while the business owners were living in beautiful mansions and summer houses.

The housing conditions of poor people in cities like London at the time, were absolutely disgusting, there was no running water

toilets, the infrequency of bathing, the fact that many people would own only two or three

One reason the public continued to create a sanitation problem was a lack of education. Numerous people even refused to abide in newly formed guidelines. The citizens did not see the correlation between their actions and the impact they were having on the current conditions. Public officials tried to regulate and educate the public of the importance of following the regulations that were being put into place. However, some of the authority figures also did so with little knowledge they possessed. The medical officials and health officers were not the most knowledgeable either; especially about the transmission of infectious diseases. These factors contributed to the

At the same time, Britain became more industrialized, towns started to grow and became over populated especially factory towns. Houses in these factory towns were close together, and because of this the living conditions in these houses were overcrowded, damp and dirty. People ate, slept and cooked in the same places. There were no sewers so there was human waste everywhere, because of the

In the Dark Ages, sanitation was a concept not understood by society. Sanitation is the promotion of hygiene and the process of keeping places free from dirt, infection and disease by removing excess debris. Europeans believed that uncleanliness was next to godliness; bathing and personal health was ignored and became uncommon in homes, villages and towns. Personal hygiene was not a priority during this time. “The only thing that smelled worse than peasants’ clothing in the Middle Ages were their dirty, rotting teeth. People didn’t use toothbrushes or toothpaste” (Allen 8). The attempts to cover the atrocious scent failed, serious measures were taken to smell good by chewing herbs and mixing vinegar and wine to create a mouthwash. Worms became a severe complication and were believed to be the

During mid-18th century when Europe was facing dark ages and industrial revolution began in Britain; European nation was comparatively negligent, inattentive and irresponsible when it came to sanitation, frequently throwing feces out of the window. Only in the early-19th century when public hygiene specialist and officials researched and discussed sanitation for numerous decades did the building of an underground system of pipes to move away solid and liquid waste was only begun in the mid-19th century, slowly replacing the cesspool method, even though cesspools were still being used in some areas of Paris into the 20th century. Whereas thousands of years earlier MJD was again like been there and done

New York City cleaning policies are meant to keep the city streets clear of garbage and refuse, however, the policies only work in theory and do not eradicate all waste. This results in garbage pile-ups and dilapidated conditions in the poorer, underdeveloped areas of the city. During the medieval period, sanitation policies were developed largely because of the Black Death (plague), which caused millions of deaths in medieval England. Many of the medieval English health problems stemmed from a lack of sanitation and running water. New York City’s sanitation system stands to learn from Medieval English sanitation because Medieval sanitation sought to quickly address issues of odors and refuse in city and town streets in order to improve public health; New York City cleaning policies are slow to address the unsettling amounts of refuse and health issues associated with the growing population and unsanitary conditions. The following literature reviews will help support my thesis.

The working class lived sad lives. They lived in small, cramped tenements in the slums of the city with no running water and very poor sanitation. Garbage and sewage were left in rivers or streets, which spread disease and other sicknesses. Due to constant dumping, and people using the river water for consumption, a cholera endemic broke out. “Cholera took many lives due to people using water from canals and rivers for cleaning and cooking.

Starting with the Middle Ages, access to medical help was limited. The clergy and some of the wealthy were only ones permitted to practice medicine at the time. As a result, most hospitals became extensions to monasteries that were located in cities. If people from the countryside needed medical help, they would have to travel to the city or receive no help at all. Sadly, access to personal hygiene during this time was not any easier. “…the generally low level of personal hygiene especially when compared to modern standards, can be attributed more to the limited facilities available for washing and the attendant inconvenience of using them”(Newman). For

the general public done away with hand washing? Is there some stigma attached to cleanliness?” (Lusk Martha Larche, For good or ill, the great unwashed are making a comeback) Some argue

the individuals’ way of living, personal hygiene, habits, behaviors and health knowledge. The foundation of personal hygiene is laid in childhood. People have been aware of the importance of hygiene for thousands of years. The earliest Greeks spent many hours bathing, using fragrance and make up in an effort to beautify themselves and be respectable to others. In fact hygiene is actually a scientific study.