Urban industrial centers like Manchester and London exposed working-class populations to toxic air, contaminated water, and cramped housing. Respiratory diseases, cholera, and typhoid were common. Factories lacked safety regulations, and long hours exacerbated health problems. Overcrowding made disease prevention nearly impossible. Public health reforms only emerged slowly, often after epidemics highlighted conditions. Despite adversity, communities developed coping strategies, like informal medical care and charity support. The contrast between industrial wealth and working-class suffering was stark.
Health crises reveal the human cost of industrial progress.
It demonstrates how social class determined exposure to risk and life expectancy.
Did you know some industrial workers could expect to live 20–30 years less than wealthier contemporaries?
[British Library, britishlibrary.uk]