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Death and Survival in Urban Britain: Disease, Pollution and Environment, 1800-1950
The narratives of disease, hygiene, developments in medicine and the growth of urban environments are fundamental to the discipline of modern history. Here, the eminent urban historian Bill Luckin re-introduces a body of work which, published together for the first time, along with new material and contextualizing notes, marks the beginning of this important strand of historiography. Luckin charts the spread of cholera, fever and the 'everyday' (but frequently deadly) infections that afflicted the inhabitants of London and its 'new manufacturing districts' between the 1830s and the end of the nineteenth century. A second part - 'Pollution and the Ills of Urban-Industrialism' - concentrates on the water and 'smoke' problems and the ways in which they came to be perceived, defined and finally brought under a degree of control. Death and Survival in Urban Britain explores the layered and interacting narratives within the framework of the urban revolution that transformed British society between 1800 and 1950.
288 pages, Paperback
Published March 19, 2020
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April 16, 2020
Death and Society in Urban Britain – an excellent text
Bill Luckin, a professor at the University of Bolton and a former editor of the academic journal Social History of Medicine, has published a collection of some of his most important essays. All these, cover one particular area of history, often overlooked by many, buy so important in life – public health.
For students of history, and especially of social history of England need to understand how vital the Victorian and Edwardian advances in public health were, and this book is testimony to that. By splitting the book in to two parts makes this book a vital text.
In part one we see the building of the historiography on this important subject with contextualised notes, which will help any student. Luckin investigates and charts the spread of cholera, fevers and the ordinary, but often deadly, endemic diseases. Part two looks at Pollution and the Burdens of Urban Industrialism – something which afflicted a great many of our modern towns and cities in the nineteenth and early twentieth century.
What one sees is that this subject is multi-layered and the narratives that happened are within the context of the Urban revolution that transformed British society over one hundred and fifty years. This really is an excellent text for any student of social history.
Bill Luckin, a professor at the University of Bolton and a former editor of the academic journal Social History of Medicine, has published a collection of some of his most important essays. All these, cover one particular area of history, often overlooked by many, buy so important in life – public health.
For students of history, and especially of social history of England need to understand how vital the Victorian and Edwardian advances in public health were, and this book is testimony to that. By splitting the book in to two parts makes this book a vital text.
In part one we see the building of the historiography on this important subject with contextualised notes, which will help any student. Luckin investigates and charts the spread of cholera, fevers and the ordinary, but often deadly, endemic diseases. Part two looks at Pollution and the Burdens of Urban Industrialism – something which afflicted a great many of our modern towns and cities in the nineteenth and early twentieth century.
What one sees is that this subject is multi-layered and the narratives that happened are within the context of the Urban revolution that transformed British society over one hundred and fifty years. This really is an excellent text for any student of social history.
Displaying 1 of 1 review