Year 8 Project (Term 2) – Public Health This home-learning project will cover the Public Health topic that we are currently studying in Year 8 History. We will cover 3 time periods – the 17th century, 19th century and modern period – looking at how public health changed and improved over time. We will also explore some major diseases and their consequences for England, such as the Great Plague and the Cholera epidemics. In total, this project should take around 9 hours to complete. All work needs to be completed in your History exercise books. The key topics we will cover are: 1. What was Public Health like in the 17th Century? – Slides 4-11 2. The Great Plague – Part 1 – Slides 12-19 3. The Great Plague Part 2 – Treatments – Slides 20-29 4. What were conditions in towns like in the nineteenth century? – Slides 30-36 5. What was the impact of poor living conditions? – Part 1 – Slides 37-42 6. What was the impact of poor living conditions? – Part 2 – Slides 43-50 7. What was Public Health like in the 20th Century? – Slides 51-57 8. What were the liberal reforms of the 20th century? – Slides 58-72 9. What were the consequences of the formation of the NHS? – Slides 73-80 At the end of this project, there is a Check 20 Quiz (Slide 81) for you to complete, to check how much you have learned. The correct answers are also provided at the end of the slides (Slide 82) so you can self-mark your answers. Before we start, here is a list of key words and terms and their definitions you will need to know: Change Historically how one period has differences from another . For instance progression or regression between two eras. Continuity Historically how two periods stay the same. Public Health The health of the population as a whole which relies upon sanitation, hospitals, laws and awareness. Miasma The belief that bad air was the cause of disease Cholera Deadly bacterial disease that was often contracted by drinking dirty water up until the mid 19th century in Britain Deadly and contagious bacterial disease that was prevalent in the 17th century and resulted in buboes, fever, delirium or Plague lung infection Symptoms The sign that a person has a disease Cause An event or figure that is the reason why something occurs Consequence An impact that occurs as a result of an event or the actions of a person. Buboes A swollen, puss filled boil that grows under the armpit or the groin as a result of the plague Liberal Reforms and Beginning of the Government introducing laws that supports people’s health with benefits and care. Welfare state Pretending to have specialist knowledge in medicine and giving remedies that are fake and don’t work as they are Quackery supposed to Laissez Faire Government policy of not getting involved in people's lives and leaving them to resolve their own problems In and On: What can we remember about the 17th Century? Lesson 1 - What was Public Health like in the 17th Century? YOUR TASK - Using the information sheet on the next few slides, complete the table identifying key changes and examples of continuity from the middle ages to the 17th century. Element of Public Health Change Continuity Caring for the sick Belief in Disease Rich vs Poor Sanitation CHALLENGE - Why might the changes have happened between the Medieval and 17th Century (Renaissance)? Caring for the sick Change – By the end of the 17th century hospitals were starting to become moe commonplace in towns, particularly specialist ones that focused on specific patients such as abandoned children which was established just after the turn of the century. The continued development of the printing press meant that there was a greater awareness of treatments and remedies. Beyond this key figures like Thomas Sydenham preached more observational methods and with the creation of the Royal society, better care became available to those who could afford it. This aided public health with improved care for people in the towns. Quackery started to develop hugely in the 17th century and continued into the 18th century. The most famous example of care by quackery came with Daffy's Elixir which promised cures to many illnesses. However it served as a laxative more than anything else. Continuity – Lots of care for people during the 17th century relied on local Monasteries and Abbey's to aid those requiring medical aid. Fountains Abbey in Yorkshire recognised getting rid of waste in the river and getting clean drinking water from local wells was far healthier. Knowledge they learned from ancient books in their extensive libraries. As religion was so prominent in the middle ages and continued to have an influence in the 17th century, people often relied on the church to help the sick. The problem was that patients were kept in close proximity which was potentially deadly if they had an illness like the plague. The Government were reluctant to embark on expensive new hospitals because it would mean increasing taxes to pay for them. Beliefs in Disease Change – Whilst supernatural ideas were still a common belief in the general population for how disease spread, with the developments in technology during the 17th century, some were starting to turn to other causes of disease spreading based on observation and science. This slow change in attitude rather than a direct event/discovery still progressed public health in the long term. Continuity – One of the main problems of the 17th century was the continued belief in miasma as the leading cause of disease. As a result little was done by the Government to prevent the spread of disease and illness through dirt and squalor in towns. Rich vs Poor Changes - One example is the poor laws introduced by Elizabeth I which encouraged people to pay tax to aid the poor who could not afford to care for themselves. Whilst the effects were limited in their success, it does show a change in attitude towards the poor and the beginning of change towards ending Laissez Faire attitudes that would eventually fall in the 20th century. The rich had privies (outside toilets) with cesspits underneath that partly spared them the threat of disease spreading to them from using public cesspits Continuity – The availability of private hospital care and access to medical supplies, remedies, surgeries and treatments was still altered by the amount of wealth a person had. The rich could afford such luxuries whereas the poor were reliant on charity and their own herbal remedies to aid their ill health. Sanitation Change – The 17th century had some towns with paved streets rather than muddy ones which slightly reduced the threat of the open drains overflowing. With this the danger of disease spreading through contaminated water was at least slightly reduced in town centres. Town councils like those in London attempted to bring in laws to fine people and businesses for polluting streets by disposing of waste, however it was limited in its success as it was difficult to enforce. One example from London explains how a Master Whytte built two privies on the back of his house over Ebbsfleet passage. The waste would fall on the heads of passer-bys and block the street, clearly more needed to be done. Continuity – Much of the sanitation in the 17th century was similar to that of the middle ages. Some towns had intricate sewage systems built by the Romans. For most however sewage was often thrown into the street or into cesspits that had themselves existed for the last several hundred years. All of this contributed to the spread of disease quite rapidly when outbreaks occurred as the cesspit sewage could seep into wells. Gong farmers would once a year come and clean the cesspits and take the waste away for manure. Beyond that in more rural areas, streams and rivers were still used as a perfect way to dispense of waste. The same rivers and streams people used to bath. Plenary List your top 2 key changes between medieval and 17th century public health that developed public health. List your top 2 key examples of continuity between medieval and 17th century public health that held back public health. In and On – Where does this rhyme come from? "Ring-a-ring of roses, A pocketful of posies, Attischo, Attischo, We all fall down." Lesson 2 – The Great Plague – Part 1 YOUR TASK - Read through the information and answer the questions in purple: Plague had been around in England for centuries but in 1665 the so-called Great Plague hit the country, it was London that would suffer the most. 1) Which city suffered the most because of the plague? 1665 had experienced a very hot summer. London’s population had continued to grow and many lived in dirt and poverty. The only way people had to get rid of rubbish was to throw it out into the streets. This would include normal household waste as well as human waste. As a result, London was filthy. But this was a perfect breeding place for rats. The cramped living conditions people lived in, and the fact that so many actually lived in the slum areas of London, meant that many people could not avoid contact with either the rats or someone who had the disease. 2) Give three reasons to explain why London suffered so badly with the plague. YOUR TASK - Read through the information and answer the questions in purple: A popular belief during the plague was that the disease was caused by dogs and cats, the Mayor even ordered all cats in London to be killed! This was not so.