Suffer the Little Children? Industrialisation and human health in the eighteenth century
by
Mary Lewis
University of Bournemouth

The Industrial Revolution in eighteenth century England was characterised by rapid technological change resulting in the establishment of new urban centres, population growth, rural-urban migration and subsequent rural depopulation. By the 1820s industrialisation had reached its peak and people complained about the effect of the industrial environment on their health, there were concerns over the contamination of food and water supplies, which resulted in outbreaks of diseases such as cholera and typhoid. In addition, the age of onset of menstruation increased, mortality rates rose, children suffered from growth retardation as rickets and scurvy became prevalent, and smallpox and measles were fatal childhood illnesses. Noise pollution, overcrowding, polluted air and the production of toxic chemicals all had an impact on both the psychological and physiological health of the individuals living in these rapidly expanding societies.

This paper discusses the environmental and cultural factors of the Industrial Revolution and uses documentary, environmental and skeletal evidence to assess its impact on the health in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.

Date received: March 20, 2002

Copyright © 2002 by the author(s). The author(s) of this document and the organizers of the conference have granted their consent to include this abstract in Atlas Conferences Inc. Document # caiq-81.