Largely due to Edwin Chadwick's Report . . . on an Enquiry into the Sanitary Condition of the Labouring Population of Great Britain (1842), the Act established a General Board of Health which had the authority to establish local Boards of Health and to investigate sanitary provision in particular districts. These changes led to a progressive amelioration in the supply of clean water, effective sewage systems and refuse disposal, and the prevention and cure of epidemic diseases. Edwin Chadwick had waged a campaign for “the sanitary idea” throughout the 1840s, supported by Charles Dickens and Charles Kingsley, and became one of the Commissioners of the Board (1848-54); he was knighted in 1889.
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Citation: Editors, Litencyc. "Public Health Act". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 01 February 2010 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=4908, accessed 23 November 2024.]
