Title: The rise of public health in England and Wales
Description: This collection curates selections from the British National Archives, making previously rarely accessed records accessible to online researchers. The nineteenth century is a particularly noteworthy era given industrialization, urbanization, and the appearance of public health as a concept. Crises such as the arrival of cholera in Britain in 1831 tested the government's ability to respond to public health concerns. Public health, as the World Health Organization defines it, encompasses "organized measures (whether public or private) to prevent disease, promote health, and prolong life among the population as a whole," with public health campaigns targeting wide-ranging issues such as family planning, nutrition, safe drinking water, and workplace conditions. This collection offers a look into this diversity of public health meaning and application, with records spanning a view of public health from national policy to individual care.
Subjects: Public health, History
Places: Great Britain