Complex sentence: As the 19th century wore on, workhouses increasingly became refuges for the elderly, infirm and sick rather than the able-bodied poor, and in 1929 legislation was passed to allow local authorities to take over workhouse infirmaries as municipal hospitals.
Split into simpler sentences: As the 19th century wore on, workhouses increasingly became refuges for the elderly, infirm and sick, rather than the able-bodied poor. In 1929, legislation was passed to allow local authorities to take over workhouse infirmaries and make them municipal hospitals.