- SOURCE D – DOES THIS SUGGEST THAT POVERTY OR LACK OF KNOWELDGE WAS THE MOST IMPORTANT REASON FOR THE SPREAD OF SMALLPOX? (3)
In this source poverty was an important reason for smallpox because as poor people can’t afford doctors many had very small houses with only 1 room where the sick and healthy stayed in the same room. This also shows poverty because they could not afford bigger houses or more rooms. In source d they made matchboxes to make a living but those matchboxes were also made in the same room as the ill. So work was done in the same place. Lack of knowledge was an important reason for smallpox because they can’t tell that diseases are caught on especially if you live in the same room also where they sell their match boxes which is everywhere diseases go on and others may catch them in the village or town if that far. Those days’ even rich people had lack of knowledge about catching diseases; they also caught diseases by making and spreading or staying in the same room as the sick. In my opinion both are important poverty and lack of knowledge because the poor cannot afford a doctor or medicines so they have to put up with it.
- SOURCE E AND F - DO THESE SOURCES AGREE OR DISAGREE ABOUT THE MAIN CAUSES OF POOR HEALTH IN LONDON IN THE 1880's? (5)
In source e the medical officer is very critical of the poor people as he blames the poor for their own problems. He suggests because their attitude they bring problems on themselves for example not keeping the chimney clean is when they get infectious diseases also by selling drain tops. This source also tells that they have lack of knowledge because of what they sell and what condition they are in because of the poverty which is also important as result in this source.
Linking this source-to-source f, which has a connective because poverty is the cause of poor health. In this source it shows that not enough houses for the poor. Lord Shaftsbury also had an experience how living in London was and other parts of the country too. He said there were too many people in too few rooms or too many houses in too little space. As for source e it is a much more critical source where the medical officer blames the poor in contrast to source f where it is said they blame overcrowding which is not the Poor’s fault. Both sources agree poverty is to blame.
- SOURCE G - WHICH SOURCE COULD BE BEST, USED TO SUPPORT THE EVIDENCE PROVIDED BY THIS SOURCE? (5)
I think source b would be a good source to compare source g to. Source b the medical professionals did not listen to Lister's new ideas so many people kept dying which showed ignorance and lack of knowledge of the medical professionals because they prevented progress. In source g Snow's ideas were ignored but some gained a little attention. Source b is a good source to back up source g because it shows the attitude towards Medical officer. They are the people who are meant to listen to new ideas and co-operate but instead they are ignoring. On the other hand I think source c would a good source to back up source g because it shows ignorance of ordinary people and also lack of knowledge because for every illness they use the same cheap and uneffective medication called JOLOP.
- ALL SOURCES - SOURCE F STATES "AT THE HEART OF THE PROBLEM OF PUBLIC HEALTH LAY OVERCROWDING".
TAKEN TOGETHER, DO THESE SOURCES SUPPORT THIS VIEW, OR DO THEY SUGGEST THAT IT IS WRONG OR THAT IT IS ONLY A PARTIAL EXPLANATION OF ILL HEALTH IN LONDON BETWEEN 1850 AND 1910? EXPLAIN WHETHER AND WHY YOU WOULD WANT OTHER TYPES OF EVIDENCE TO JUDGE THIS STATEMENT? (10)
Yes, I think this statement is true but overcrowding is a partial explanation because there are two more problems that are equally important, which are Poverty and Lack of knowledge. Overcrowding is one of the main causes because in source d it tells that three people were very ill with smallpox and are very poor to afford any medicines or even a doctor. The only way they made a living was by making matchboxes. They all stayed in the same room and also worked in that same room which showed they could only afford one room to live in. Linked to source e where the medical officer states ‘when these poorer people enter a house dirt and destruction starts’ this explains that the poor do not look after any thing properly. In this source it shows how the household is not looked after because of the amount of people in a house.
Poverty is another main cause of poor health because in source c the poor had to use home made medicines because they could not afford to buy them, which shows poverty. Having 1 medicine for everything was not worth it. Source d also says that they had to stay in the same room as the ill were because there were no other rooms also they couldn’t afford a doctor or medicine. Poverty shown in source e suggests that the poor are unable to look after anything at all.
However lastly lack of knowledge was one of the main causes to because source c all the problems and diseases were being treated by the same medicine called Jolop, which was cheap and uneffective. This as also because it links to source b where the doctors attitudes towards Lister’s ideas was not used properly or taken advantage of, they were ignorant and were not prepared to listen .In source d the matchboxes were being made in the same room as the ill and were sold different places so the disease had spread and lastly source g where again Snow had tried again to prevent people dying with diseases by using new ideas as only some were taken forward and some ignored.
Putting all the causes together the factors all connect with the sources because poverty is shown by not many rooms, can’t afford doctor or medicine and use homemade medicines connected to overcrowding, too many people in a room so can easily catch diseases also linked to lack of knowledge, not knowing staying in the same room as the ill you can get ill too, selling match boxes that were made in the same room as the ill other people who buy can also get ill also the attitude towards doctors for using same medicine for every illness and stop people from dying by taking some interest in progressing in the new ideas Lister and Snow had come up with. In the sources they have three of the main causes.
If you think about the sources not all of the information could be correct some could be made up or false. Source b is a book, the reason behind this book could be that because Lister’s ideas were not looked or listened to by some doctors but maybe doctors who did like the ideas but could not do anything about it may of written this book to make him look good and attractive and by writing good he will appear good.
The problem with source d was that it was an autobiography this could be a problem because they can make it sound interesting and could be famous and earn money by making up things and exaggerating. So you can’t believe this source.
Lastly source e, which was told by a medical officer, he was a middle class person but does not like the poor and does not like dirt. He thinks too much of himself and he seems to be biased-one sided he says that the poor bring the problems on to themselves.
All these sources are based around East End of London and only one hospital was looked at. London is a very big city and there are many more hospitals in London. This shows that those people are only based in the poorer parts of London. If I had used Census data it would show to me the percentage of death rates whether they increased or decreased with or without new ideas used. I would compare the death rates of east London to other parts of London; compare the health in the hospital I studied to another hospital. I can also find out how many people live in each house. This will show hoe overcrowded an area is. With the Census data I will be able to research the main causes, overcrowding, poverty and lack of knowledge and whether it had increased or decreased over the years in the London areas.
