Peoples Health exam technique

1. Peoples Health exam technique How to answer 9, 10 and 18 mark questions in my peoples health exam

2. Four time periods Medieval 1250-1500 Early Modern 1500-1750 Industrial 1750-1900 1900- Nowadays

3. Peoples Health- Paper Breakdown Total time- 50 mins 3x1 mark questions: 5 mins 9 mark question: 10 mins 10 mark question: 15 mins 18 mark question: 20 mins

4. Most important things to know for this unit The non negotiable: • You need to be able to comfortably explain the impact that peoples living conditions had on their health. Living conditions include Water, Waste, Housing and Food (Air can be include from 1750 onwards- factories then cars) • You need to be able to explain the epidemics in each time period (Medieval- Black Death, Early Modern- Great Plague and even the Gin Craze, Industrial- Cholera, 1900 onwards- Spanish Flu, AIDs and even obesity. • You need to describe the role of government in each time period (medieval- little intervention after the Black Death but not compulsory, Early Modern- more intervention especially around enforcing plague law and orders in the 1500s by Henry III and Elizabeth I, Industrial- after 1850 massive increase in involvement especially after working class men got the vote in 1867 and the Great Stink, 1900- more involved than ever; now known as the Nanny State as the government looks after us from the ‘cradle to the grave’.

5. 1 mark questions (answer) • Name one problem in medieval towns? • Identify one new health issue that arose in the 20th Century? • What supplied water to poorer citizens in towns in Early Modern Britain? • Name a technology created in Industrial times that transformed peoples lives? • What was a gongfermer? • Identify one way waste was disposed on in medieval towns? • Name one person who helped Health progress in Industrial Britain? • Identify one improvement to public housing during the period 1900-200 • What improvements were made to food in the 1800s? • Name one significant law of Industrial Britain and why? • Identify one example of poor health in Industrial Britain? • Name two diseases which became prevalent in Industrial Britain? • Identify one feature of town life in Early Modern Britain that had not changed since medieval times? • Name of plague order of Early Modern Britain? • what caused respiratory diseases in Early Modern Britain?

6. 9 mark questions (do not be put off by the wording. You just need to describe) E.G. Write a clear and organised summary that analyses the strategies used by towns to improve public health in the medieval period. Support your summary with examples. E.G One strategy used by towns to improve peoples health in medieval Britain was tackling the issue of Dung heaps. For example people were not allowed dump their waste to create dung heaps in their gardens. Instead they were moved to the edge of towns in many towns across Britain, such as Bristol. This strategy improved health by reducing smells and the chance of bacteria spreading. Another example of strategies used by medieval town authorities was on trying to improve poor-quality meat being sold by butchers. Organisations were set up to ensure that standards were set and people obeyed them. This strategy improved health because butchers often sold meat from diseased animals but now this was tackled by these organisations in many towns in Britain. A final example of how towns improved public health in the medieval period was by naming and shaming anyone who was caught dumping waste, especially in the water supplies. This was a major step forward to ensure cleaner water supplies. The main problem with all these strategies was that in medieval Britain there were no National Laws so these were all introduced in some places only.

7. Now over to you Q. Write a clear and organised summary that analyses medieval peoples reactions to the Black Death. Support your summary with examples. SS. One way that medieval people reacted to the Black Death was…..For example…… (describe this reaction) Another way that medieval people reacted to the Black Death was….(describe) A final way that medieval people reacted to the Black Death was…..(describe)

8. 10 mark questions- these will ALWAYS be explain questions Q. Explain why living conditions in Early Modern Britain caused health problems. Support your answer with examples. Tip: living conditions questions always mean you need to discuss food, water, waste and housing. E.g. One way that living conditions caused health problems was waste. People would put their waste in a basket outside their house, and once or twice a week it was collected by scavengers who sold the urban waste to farmers in the country. If you forgot to do this you could throw it on the communal heap outside the town gates. However this was not always collected and people often ended up putting this waste in dung heaps in their gardens. Getting rid of human waste was still extremely difficult. Even though the flushing toilet was created it was a luxury for the rich and poor people put waste in a communal cesspit or ones in their gardens. These would cause awful smells and would not be emptied very often. The communal ones were also built near the conduits which caused further health problems as contamination occurred quiet often causing illnesses such as cholera and typhoid. Another way that living conditions caused health problems was housing. Many houses were overcrowded. Poor families squashed into cellars and upper storeys, and sharing beds was common. Houses continued to be poorly constructed in the early modern period and this meant that they were often draughty and damp. The conditions in these overcrowded, poorly built and damp houses led to many people suffering from lung and respiratory diseases which killed a lot of people in Early Modern Britain. A final way that living conditions affected peoples health was the unequal access to clean water. Water depended on wealth in Early Modern Britain. Soap was really expensive and only a luxury for those who could afford it. The rich would employ people to wash their clothes, and the poor probably had one set of clothes that would be infested with fleas and lice which caused typhus and the plague to spread rapidly. If you lived near a river or pond you could take a quick cold dip, but bathing inside was impossible without a bathtub, servants, enough water, a fire and plenty of time. The water would often be dirty and many believed water could infect through the pores in the skin. For this reason cleaning was a dry process suing a brush or cloth to dislodge any lice but this didn’t actually clean them. The poor access to clean water therefore made it next to impossible for people to ensure they could stay clean.

9. Now over to you Explain how new National Laws to tackle Plague in Early Modern Britain were put in place. Support your answers with examples. SS. One way that the government created new laws to tackle plague in Early Modern Britain was…… (you need to then PEEL- explain) Another way that the government……. A final way…….

10. 18 mark Q’s (interpretation based)Remember you need to agree AND disagree but the top answers with have three main PEELS as well as a conclusion. Q. ‘New technology has been the most important factor in improvements to public health in Britain’. How far do you agree with this statement? Give reasons for your answer.

11. It can be argued that new technology has indeed been the most important factor in improvements to public health. Developments such as the printing press in the fifteenth century enabled information to be spread more quickly and accurately for example the Plague Orders of 1578. The development of microscopes was vital in enabling Louis Pasteur to develop germ theory which finally proved what caused illness, thereby also proving the importance of cleanliness and public health. Other technological developments in the Industrial period were also significant in improving public health, most notably the development of the sewer systems pioneered by Joseph Bazalgette in London. However, had it not been for the government commissioning these works, technology could have not have had this impact. Therefore, arguably, the role of government is more important with respect to the sewer system than the development of technology. In the modern era of 1900 onwards technology has enabled the use of media to raise awareness on issues to do with public health such as anti-smoking and healthy eating campaigns. On the other hand it can be argued that there are other factors which played a more important role in improving public health. Throughout all the time periods government has had a significant impact on public health, on both a local and national level. Examples include the Plague Orders, Public Health Acts as well as a raft of other legislation at the end of the nineteenth century, Liberal Welfare reforms, NHS and AIDS awareness campaigns. The Public Health Act of 1875 was a turning point in England as it was the first time that the government made it compulsory for councils to clean up their towns, thereby improving living conditions. For example, the appointments of medical officers and local authorities taking responsibility for sewers and water supplies. The NHS is another significant event in the improvement of public health because, for the first time, everybody in the country had access to trained doctors. This meant that the very poor had the same access and entitlement as the rich, and, as a result, life expectancy has improved dramatically. Combined with this, the growth of democracy, particularly during the nineteenth century with the 1867 Second Reform Act, meant that there was increasing pressure for reform and the government had to respond to this. Additionally, a change in attitudes also played a role in improving public health. Since the Middle Ages there has been a shift away from the reliance of religion as an explanation and treatment of illness and people became more accepting of new, scientific ideas such as Pasteur’s germ theory. In conclusion, whilst new technology has played an incredibly important role in improving public health, such as development of microscopes and the sewer system, by itself it cannot be considered the most important factor. Without the role of other factors such as government new technology would not have been able to have such a big impact. For example the new sewer system only came about because of intervention by the government. Therefore, whilst it clearly played a significant role in improving public health, I disagree that by itself it was the most important factor.

12. Now over to you • Government action has always been the most important factor in improving peoples health in Britain since 1900. How far do you agree with this statement? Give reasons to explain your answer.

13. Practice: Planning answers to 18 mark exam questions- in an exam how would you agree and disagree to these Q’s How far do you agree that responses to cholera epidemics had little impact on the improvement of living conditions in the nineteenth century? Give reasons for your answer. [18] How far do you agree that the authorities in Industrial Britain made greater attempts to improve public health than the authorities in the Middle Ages? Give reasons for your answer. [18] How far do you agree that living conditions in Britain have changed little since 1900? Give reasons for your answer. [18] How far do you agree that the most important changes in public health in Britain took place in the twentieth century? Give reasons for your answer. [18] ‘A lack of scientific understanding and technology were the most important factors preventing improvements in public health in the period 1250 to 1750.’ How far do you agree? Give reasons for your answer. [18] ‘Beliefs and attitudes were the most important factors preventing improvements in public health in the period 1250 to 1750.’ How far do you agree? Give reasons for your answer. [18] How far do you agree that the most important changes in public health in Britain took place in the nineteenth Century? Give reasons for your answer. [18]