Change_in_Healthcare_and_the_Revolution

The industrial revolution was a time of social, economical and technological changes. The industrial revolution began in Britain in the late 18th and early 19th century and spread to other nations. It was a period in time that went from an economy based society on manual labor to an economy based on complex machinery. Areas that were once rural now were large industrial cities consisting of factories. This caused many people to move into these cities looking for employment. Family needs were no longer based on production but rather on consumption. As the Industrial Revolution developed, the health and welfare of the workers deteriorated. As people flocked to the urban areas for employment and a better life, it caused overpopulation along with unsanitary and public health issues. There was a widespread of diseases such as Tuberculosis and Cholera killing thousands of people. In the beginning of the 19th century, humanitarians and philanthropists in England worked hard to educate the population and the government on the problems they were facing due to poverty, population growth and epidemics that were spreading quickly. The Government had to get involved to maintain the health of the population. In 1834 The Poor Law Commission was created. People were sent out to survey the areas in need of help and report back problems of community health, ways to fix the problems and the cost of such remedies. Through these surveys, in 1838 these surveyors reported that the cost to prevent diseases were far less than dealing with the diseases themselves. Sanitary surveys proved there was a correlation between contaminated water and the victims of these diseases. As concerns grew about the health crisis, reformers slowly began to make changes in public housing areas and within the factories and work environment. As a result the Public Health Act of 1848 was placed into effect and a General Board of Health was established. The government made improvements on sanitary and social conditions. Sewers were installed; houses and factories had proper drains installed to provide clean water. All the changes being made in England influenced the United States to make improvements upon their public health as well. America faced epidemics of typhoid, smallpox and cholera as well. Soon, America created a public health organization as well. The 19th century brought about great developments in France. The French introduced the application of scientific methods for identifying and treating communicable diseases. Louis Pasteur introduced methods for isolating and characterizing bacteria. In 1879, he developed the technique of pasteurization which destroyed bacteria in solutions. In 1881, Pasteur developed protective vaccines for some of the diseases claiming thousands of people’s lives which sparked an interest in immunity. Such revelations in microbiology and immunology paved the road for many improvements in public heath that we have today. Scientific developments in the 19th century had a major impact on understanding health and disease, as experimental research resulted in new knowledge in histology, pathology and microbiology. Technological developments aided this process, improved microscopes that revealed micro-organisms, to instruments like the kymograph, to measure blood pressure and muscular contraction. The stethoscope was invented in France in 1817 to aid diagnosis of respiratory and cardiac disorders. The stethoscope became the symbolic icon of the medical profession and is used every day around the world. Surgery advanced largely to the invention of anesthesia in the late 1840s. Significant events include a notable public demonstration of the effects of ether in London in October 1846. Anesthetics enabled surgeons to perform more sophisticated operations in addition to the traditional amputations. The century also saw the rise of nursing as a profession. Like her friend, the public health reformer Edwin Chadwick, Florence Nightingale (1820-1910) believed that infection arose spontaneously in dirty and poorly ventilated places. This mistaken belief led to improvements in hygiene and healthier living and working environments. In November 1855 a Nightingale fund had been set up to found a training school for nurses. Public health services created by the government were financed through taxation. There was no charge to the user of the services. The government also hired public health inspectors to reinforce the laws put in place. These Laws were passed and promoted not because of a real genuine concern for people’s health, but more out of fear if something was not done to protect them from epidemic disease. This resulted in a better quality of life with longer life expectancy. The 19th century brought about many positive changes that we must all be thankful for. While many had to endure horrific working and living conditions due to the selfishness of some rulers in the government and also from pure ignorance throughout the world, if they had not experienced what they did, it would not have inspired a needed change or the further developments in education and inventions. Even as we learn about the primitive inventions that changed the world such as locomotives, machinery and medicines, one can only imagine what the next century will endure. As we learn about Jefferson, Marx, and Bismarck to name a few, will it be the same for generations to come to learn of our leaders and say wow, look how they had to live' The world has come so far but yet has so far to go. As we continue on the journey of life, we must not forget all those that suffered and be thankful for what we have today.