Health and Sanitation
Gin Act 1751
The Gin Act 1751 is a reminder that drunkenness on the streets is nothing new. London has always been a magnet for people wanting to improve their chances in life. The early 18th century rural economy was already beginning to creak and groan under the yoke of enclosure and agricultural revolution. More people were seeking…
Read MorePublic Drinking Fountains
Public drinking fountains in London resulted from the Public Drinking Foundation Movement established in 1858 to provide clean water to London’s poor.
Read MoreSmallpox Inoculation 1721
Smallpox is a devastating disease that holds a unique place in medical history. The foresight of people such as Lady Montague helped in it’s eradication. Many people had their lives saved due to her persistent and courageous actions before Jenner’s vaccination took over.
Read MoreCholera on the streets of 19th Century London
Mid C19th and the streets of London were filled with filth and disease. Poor science exacerbated the problem until the work of people such as John Snow and Joseph Bazalgette turned the situation around.
Read MoreThe Use of Antiseptics in Operating Theatres
The problem of infection in operating theatres had been known about from the end of the C18th through the C19th. More people were dying from infections acquired in the operating theatre than were dying of their ailments. Florence Nightingale highlighted the need for a rigorous approach to hospital hygiene and Lister’s work with carbolic, changed…
Read MoreChloroform For Anaesthesia
The miracle of the discovery of chloroform and it’s use as an anaesthetic by James Young Simpson
Read MoreThe Institution of Nursing Sisters 1840
Another of Elizabeth Fry’s amazing achievements was the setting up of the Institution of Nursing Sisters
Read MoreJohn Snow Mapping Cholera 1859
Sometimes events happen in history, that have a profound effect upon all people, the epidemiological studies of John Snow in his pursuit of the cause of cholera was one just event
Read MoreMap of John Snow’s London 1859
An intriguing snippet to put you in touch with John Snow and his mapping study of cholera in London in 1859
Read MoreMigration of Nightingale Nurses
The migration of the Nightingale nurses, allowed the excellent standards and practises of their training to be disseminated throughout the world
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