GCSE History: People's Health in the Early Modern Period

Key Themes

• Impact of living conditions
• Response to epidemics
• Improving public health
• Key factors: beliefs, attitudes, local/national government, science/technology, urbanization, wealth/poverty

Living Conditions Overview

• Cultural, Social, and Economic Changes

  • Growth of towns
  • Housing, food, clean water, waste management

• Housing and Urbanization

  • Urban growth and crowding in towns
  • Good harvests reduced hunger but famines still occurred
  • Urbanization led to increased trade and new products (sugar, tobacco)

• Diet

  • Rich: Meat, fish, exotic foods, wine
  • Poor: Bread, vegetables, occasional meat/cheese
  • Common issues: lack of Vitamin C and iron for the poor, digestive issues for the rich

• Housing Quality

  • Rich: Luxury homes (e.g., Hardwick Hall)
  • Poor: Medieval-style homes, poor ventilation, no glass/chimneys

• Water Supply & Cleanliness

  • Rich had piped water; poor relied on public conduits
  • Bathing varied greatly between rich and poor

Responses to Epidemics: The Plague

• Great Plague of London, 1665

  • Killed around 70,000-100,000 people
  • Poor understanding of cause (God's punishment, myasma)

• National Responses

  • Isolation of sufferers, use of plague orders
  • In 1518, straw outside homes and restricted movement
  • 1578 orders included cleaning streets, burning tar
  • 1604 Plague Act enforced isolation with severe penalties

• Local Government Measures

  • Towns like Yarmouth and Cambridge took measures to prevent plague

Public Health and Government

• York's Urban Management

  • Cleanliness regulations, fines for waste disposal infractions

• Impact of the Gin Craze

  • Increase in alcohol consumption, especially gin
  • Lead to health and social issues
  • Government legislations like the Gin Acts attempted to curb consumption

• Alcohol Regulation Attempts

  • License requirements for ale houses
  • Various Gin Acts tried to control gin sales (1729, 1736, 1751)
  • The 1751 Gin Act was effective due to harsh penalties

Conclusion

The early modern period saw significant changes in public health responses, urban living conditions, and government interventions. Although there were efforts to manage public health, many challenges like the gin craze and periodic plague outbreaks continued to affect society.