Victorian Era Medical Problems
by Jessica McKoy
Title
Bethany Thornell
English II Honors
March 20, 2015
In the Beginning
What caused these diseases?
Population was another factor that spread these diseases faster. There was almost no sewage system in many cities and buildings. Most of the time, waste would be thrown out the window or into alleyways, courtyards, or even basements. The water pumps more often than not had waste or reused water in the source.
Failed Attempts
A theory came about during the outbreak of Cholera called the Miasma Theory. It was believed that people could catch a disease by inhaling "bad air" or air that had disease in it. London's Sanitation Commissioner believed in this theory about germs but didn't take the proper actions, although he had good intentions. He attempted to get rid of the waste flooding the city by dumping it into River Thames that also happened to be where London got their drinking water.
Medicine
Childbirth
For all the mothers who know how painful childbirth was, imagine giving birth with absolutely no anesthesia. Until 1847, thousands of women died during childbirth. And even after childbirth there was a 15% chance that children wouldn't live past one. A form of treatment in childbirth was bleeding, it is exactly what it sounds like. It was said to relieve pain when it would just initially weaken the mother even more.Surgery
Before we had antiseptics and anesthetics we have today, people would die from hospital visits. For example, if you had an infection the only treatment would be either a amputation or a cauterization. Even if the doctors were successful with removing the infected part of your body you would often be revisited with another infection because of the lack of sterilizing equipment. Methods such as blistering, purging and plastering were used and often lacked any success.
Pain Killers
The most common pain killers used in the Victorian Era was alcohol or Laudanum. It was used most often because of how cheap it was. Chloroform wasn't used until 1847 to lessen pain during surgery. A mix of brandy and wine was a staple pain killer used before procedures.
Works Cited
“Amputation and Surgery in the 19th Century”. 123HelpMe. n.d. 18 Mar 2015,
Casolino, Stephanie and Nadig, Megha “Public Health and Medical Practices” pbworks. n.d. 18 Mar 2015
Douglas, Laurelyn “Health and Hygiene in the Nineteenth Century” The Victorian Web. 1991. 18 Mar 2015
“Hidden Extras: Cholera comes to Victorian London” ScienceMuseum. n.d. 18 Mar 2015