Had Public Health improved in towns and cities by 1854?
The rapid industrialisation and urbanisation continued so the size of towns and cities continued to grow. As a result, the central government were forced to acknowledge the problems with public health and do something about it.
The continuing Cholera outbreaks of 1842, 1848 and 1854 brought death tolls up to a level that the government could not ignore. The 1836 Registration of Births and Deaths Act meant that deaths were being recorded, along with the cause of death. A continuous rise in the number of deaths from Cholera showed the government that something definitely had to be done, but since they did not understand the cause of Cholera – and many other diseases around at the time – there was not a great deal they could do about it. Pasteur and the germ theory had not come about yet, and Dr John Snow had not yet published his work on the cause of Cholera. The government therefore didn’t think to replace dirty water pipes, or keep sewage away from drinking water.
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The strength of this essay is the range of accurate relevant supporting detail. The candidate clearly and confidently uses a wide range of examples. What would improve this essay is to develop links between the factors by type eg government action, scientific progress, the work of key individuals. Lastly the extent to which progress had been made should be addressed specifically and a conclusion drawn at the end. ****