Report to Her Majesty's Principal Secretary of State For the Home Department, from the Poor Law Commissioners, on an Inquiry Into the Sanitary Condition of the Labouring Population of Great Britain; With AppendicesChadwick, Edwin
History
Report to Her Majesty's Principal Secretary of State For the Home Department, from the Poor Law Commissioners, on an Inquiry Into the Sanitary Condition of the Labouring Population of Great Britain; With Appendices
Chadwick, Edwin
Housing -- Great Britain; Public health -- Great Britain
The evidence of Mr. Brownlow was read to Dr. Weber, who has had under
his care between 200 and 300 cases of journeymen tailors who were
treated by him, as physician to the St. George’s Dispensary, which is
much resorted to by those of that class of workmen who reside at the
west end of the metropolis. Dr. Weber confirms the general tenor of the
evidence as to the medical facts, and especially the general conclusion
that the greatest proportion of the diseases to which they are subject
arise from circumstances separable from their occupation. The evidence
as to the personal condition and habits of the workmen is generally
corroborated by several master tailors, who state that the journeyman
tailor in the rural district who works singly, or in a well-ventilated
apartment, is in person commonly the opposite of the one described by M.
Patissier; he is described as being a hard worker, but at times a man
who is in most village foot races, and not unfrequently the foremost
runner, and in games of foot-ball not the last. The journeymen tailors
are found amongst the best men in the life guards. In consequence of a
strike of tailors, one dragoon regiment had a troop chiefly enlisted
from them, and military men state that they greatly distinguished
themselves.
If we thus find the crowding of unventilated places of work injurious—in
which persons rarely pass more than 12 out of the 24 hours, being free
during the remaining time to breathe what air they please—how much worse
should we expect the consequences to be of the same fault in workhouses,
hospitals, schools, and prisons, in which individuals often pass both
day and night in the same apartments, or if in different apartments,
still in the same crowd. Accordingly, since the attention of medical men
has been sufficiently directed to the subject, the explanation has
become complete of many deplorable cases of general ill health and
mortality in such places, attributed at first to deficiency or bad
quality of food, or to any cause but the true one,—want of ventilation.
A striking illustration of this was afforded in the case of a large
school for children during the years 1836 and 1837, as recorded in the
second volume of the Poor Law Reports. Such general failure of health
and such mortality had occurred among the children as to attract public
notice and the animadversions of many medical men and others who visited
the schools; but by most the evil was attributed chiefly to faulty
nourishment; and it was only after the more complete examination, made
by direction of the board, and of which the report is published, as
above stated, that the diet was found to be unusually good, but the
ventilation very imperfect. Suitable changes were then made; and now, in
the same space where 700 children were by illness awakening extensive
sympathy, 1100 now enjoy excellent health. The defective state of
information on the subject of ventilation is frequently shown in reports
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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