In the 19th century England, the populations in many cities began to increase drastically. But with this drastic increase we see results such as poor environmental and living conditions, terrible hygiene from the homeless and prostitutes on the street, and extremely poor sanitation. Through these results, there were several outbreaks of many different diseases that effected the lives of thousands of people. Here is a list of top 10 diseases that effected those in the Victorian Age:
1. Scarlet Fever
2. Typhoid
3. Chicken Pox
4. Tuberculosis (TB)
5. Diphtheria
6. Cholera
1. Scarlet Fever
- This disease has been named one of the most deadly among young children, and begins to happen following an onset of strep throat. Once feeling symptoms such as chills, body aches, loss of appetite, nausea, and vomiting the child had approximately a week or two to live (11, Smith). Along with these symptoms, we see a large rash that forms, affecting most of your upper body, including your face and mouth.
- Treatment/ Medication: Although there was no treatment or medication found for scarlet fever during the Victorian Era, the discovery of penicillin by Sir Alexander Fleming and its application towards antibiotics, we see the treatment of the rash and other symptoms that come with this deadly disease (8,McAlpine). Without the discovery of a treatment for this deadly disease, it is possible scarlet fever could still effect people today.
2. Typhoid
- This disease is contracted through drinking or washing water from the sewage. Because of the sewage situation in the times of the 1800's, people could throw waste/sewage into any river or sewage area they pleased. Through this, people were drinking sewage, and waste that they thought was clean water from the river.
- Treatment/Medication: Because of the lack of hygiene and sanitation, there was no medication or treatment in the beginning. Through this, many people died as people were still unaware of the bacteria in the water. But in 1897, Almroth Edward Wright developed an effected vaccine for treating typhoid and it's spread (12,Typhoid Fever).
3. Chicken Pox
- Chicken Pox was known to effect children more in the 1800's then in adults once in their lifetime, as seem today. Once infected by this, the children was known to have symptoms such as small little red dots all over there body. Symptoms of this included a fever, chills, headache, weariness, and sometimes aching in the back and limbs (1, 19th Century Diseases). Although many thought chicken pox and small pox were the same, they weren't.
- Treatment/Medication: There is little treatment still to this day for chicken pox. Although those of the Victorian Era thought herbal remedies enhanced the treatment of these small red dots and thought that the herbs would make one heal quicker.
4. Tuberculosis (TB)
- Tuberculosis, or consumption, was another one of the most common diseases of the Victorian Era. The reason why they also deemed the term consumption is because that is what they thought of when body tissue was wasting away (1, 19th Century diseases). It was highly contagious, killing one in every four people that were infected (6, Laycock). Through this, we see thousands of lives affected, including that of Florence Nightingale.
- Treatment/Medication: This deadly disease is was discovered in 1882 by Robert Koch (1,19th Century diseases). He found that this bacteria was barley visible to the human eye and would make it's way through every organ in the human body. The bacteria would cause major damage to the organ or ultimately destroy it completely.
5. Diphtheria
- This is another disease that affects primarily children. It is mostly effected in the throat or mouth and blocks your passage ways that enable you to breathe. It was known to be highly contagious, even the touch of mouth to mouth could cause the bacteria to spread. Symptoms of this disease include fever and weakness and often result in death.
- Treatment/Medication: Robert Koch was also the one who discovered this deadly bacteria. He also determined this was caused by the bacteria flowing through the bloodstream, causing a quicker effect . Although Koch didn't directly find the treatment for the disease, it was found later and is known as antitoxin, which would eventually prevent and cure the disease (1, 19th Century diseases).
6. Cholera
- This disease may have been the most prevalent of the Victorian Era. This disease not only effected those of Victorian England, but also those across the world. Tens of thousands of people died from the result of this extremely deadly disease. This disease is caused by a human drinking water from a contaminated source and then inhibiting the disease (1, 19th Century diseases). Once infected, the disease traveled via the bloodstream resulting in the slowing of the blood. With this decrease in blood flow, the skin turns a blueish purple color. Once this symptom has prevailed the result most commonly resulted in death.
- Treatment/Medication: Before the discovery of the bacteria, John Snow was the one to figure out that the disease was spread through water and the sewage systems. Robert Koch then discovered the bacteria that resulted in the death of over 53,000 people in London in 1848 (6, Laycock).