Dr. Vernon Coleman reminds us about the achievements of Sir Edwin Chadwick who was a prominent English social reformer known for his pivotal role in reforming the Poor Laws and advancing public health and sanitation in 19th-century Britain and the world.
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Edwin Chadwick (1800-1890)
A civil servant, lawyer and journalist, Chadwick was also a dedicated reformer whose work led to massive improvements in sanitation around the world – including America and the rest of Europe. His publications include ‘A Report of an Inquiry into the Sanitary Condition of the Labouring Population of Great Britain’, which he published in 1842 at his own expense. He was the first president of the Association of Public Sanitary Inspectors (later transformed into the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health).
Dismayed by the number of people killed by the cholera epidemic of 1831, Chadwick, who had been invited by the Government to help with Poor Law Reform, argued that proper sanitation facilities would improve the quality of life for ordinary people and would also be of massive value in economic terms. This deliberate mixing of health improvement and financial motive had been attempted (sadly, with little success) by the great economist Sir William Petty in the 17th century but Chadwick succeeded where Petty had failed.
The changing political climate in the early part of the 19th century meant that England was ready for change. Since working people were earning more, and becoming better educated, the politicians were under more pressure to do something about the foul conditions in which town dwellers usually lived.
Chadwick prepared maps showing where the worst death rates were in English cities. His figures showed that (including infant mortality) the average age at death was 43 for gentlemen, 30 for tradesmen and 22 for labourers crowded together in unsanitary conditions. These figures were, of course, kept desperately low by the high incidence of death among babies and children.
On the basis of these statistics, Chadwick concluded that disease was spread by overcrowding, poor water supplies, bad drainage and dirty towns. Richer people tended to live longer because they were protected from the problems inherent in the crowded parts of towns and cities.
Chadwick’s 1842 report suggested that a circulatory system be used in towns and cities to supply clean water and to remove waste products. Most importantly, he showed that the authorities would actually save money by building proper facilities.
Chadwick filled his report with vital technical information, designed to make things easy for the politicians. He obtained evidence showing that although water supplied at high pressure tended to burst the traditional bored elm trunks, it did not damage iron pipes, and he also showed that narrow-bore drains which had smooth inside walls would clean themselves when water closets were used.
Chadwick recommended building pumps to supply fresh water and sewer pipes to take away the wastes. He even suggested that sewage be processed and sold to farms as a valuable fertiliser.
Chadwick’s recommendations were incorporated into a Public Health Act in 1848, and although not all his ideas were used (it was cheaper to import guano from Chile as a fertiliser than to use treated human sewage), there is no doubt that Chadwick made a massive contribution to the quality of life in England and the rest of the world. Almost alone, Chadwick provided the stimulus which eventually gave towns and cities everywhere clean streets, clean water supplies and efficient sewers.
Note: This biography is taken from the book `Vernon Coleman’s English Heroes’ – which contains mini-biographies of 100 of Vernon Coleman’s heroes. Some of the names are well-known but there are a number of surprises. For details of the book, please CLICK HERE.
About the Author
Vernon Coleman, MB ChB DSc, practised medicine for ten years. He has been a full-time professional author for over 30 years. He is a novelist and campaigning writer and has written many non-fiction books. He has written over 100 books, which have been translated into 22 languages. On his website, HERE, there are hundreds of articles which are free to read. Since mid-December 2024, Dr Coleman has also been publishing articles on Substack; you can subscribe to and follow him on Substack HERE.
There are no ads, no fees and no requests for donations on Dr Coleman’s website or videos. He pays for everything through book sales. If you would like to help finance his work, please consider purchasing a book – there are over 100 books by Vernon Coleman available in print on Amazon.
Featured image: Sir Edwin Chadwick. Source: Getty Images
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Categories: Breaking News, UK News