UNIT Ill.

MEDICINE

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Public ealt problems, 3-50-1750

Between 1350 and 1750 problems with public health provision increased because towns and cities were t;3ettint;3 bit;3t;3er. You need to know what these problems were and why they were hard to solve.

Problems

- - - - - ----------Infectious disease
Outbreaks of infectious disease between 1350 and 1750 were frequent and deadly, partly because of poor public health provision. Local authorities tried several methods to deal with them, but they had little success because they didn't understand what caused disease. Durint;3the 1665 plat;3uein London: theatres were closed and lart;3efunerals were banned to stop crowds dOt;3sand cats were killed barrels of tar were burned in streets every day, carts collected the dead who were buried in deep mass t;3raves a household was boarded into its home for 28 days if one of them caut;3htthe plat;3ue

Rubbish, dead animals and human and animal excrement were dumped on streets and left there.

Rivers were often polluted and there was little clean water. Most people drank ale instead.

poor sanitation caused health problems. Sewage often contaminated water.

Toilets

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Only richer people had privies, which had padded seats over a bucket for their own family's use. Poorer people had to share, so several families would use one cesspit, which had a wooden seat above. Inside houses most people used chamber pots, which were emptied in drains in the street or sometimes just thrown out of the window. People paid nit;3htsoil workers, or t;3ont;3 farmers', to empty cesspits (the contents would be sold to farmers to use as manure). In 1596 5ir John Harrinqton invented a water closet that used water to flush the sewat;3eaway. Many people ridiculed the idea, so it didn't develop properly for another 200 years.

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days of fastint;3 and prayers were ordered.

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NoW try this

List examples of problems caused by poor public health provision between 1350 and 1750.

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