Following typhoid epidemics in British cities in 1837 and 1838, the government commissioned the reformer Edwin Chadwick to undertake an enquiry into sanitation in major urban areas. Aided by the General Register, which since 1837 had required all deaths to be registered centrally, he produced a report on The Sanitary Conditions of the Labouring Population. His report concluded that the living conditions of the poor were urgently in need of improvement. He argued that bad sanitation, and corresponding poor health, had a negative impact on the nation's economy as a whole, because it limited their ability to work effectively. As a result, it was the government's responsibility, both moral and economic, to bring about changes.

112 words

Citation: Editors, Litencyc. "Edwin Chadwick's report on The Sanitary Conditions of the Labouring Population". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 30 August 2013 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=4835, accessed 23 November 2024.]