The Contagious Diseases Act Of Nineteenth Century Britain Sparked

Describe the origins of public health in the UK from the 19th Century to the present day

Everyone can agree that sexism had its talons deep in the flesh of the American mindset during the 1800's and although this is an obvious fact, few people understand just how hostile an environment it was for a woman. Among those few, were the women living in this malicious medium. From corsets to kitchens, housekeeping to health, life was not easy for even the most well-to-do woman. Although not all women decried their situation, a strong-minded minority dropped their oven mits, put their fists in the air, and called out for a change. Equal opportunity, equal right to vote, equal pay, and all around equality is what they demanded. But feminism was not only found at suffrage rallys or Grange meetings, it made its way in to every medium,

As women’s role in society increased throughout history, a feminist movement started to evolve. Some periods in history however, reached little improvement in women’s rights, especially in England. These women pushing for the same rights as their male counterparts believe they should not be treated differently as their male counterparts. Margaret Harrison advocates the feminist movement through her lifetime from her paintings and by forming art organizations.

Douglas, Ann Wood. “”The Fashionable Diseases”: Women 's Complaints and Their Treatment in Nineteenth-Century America.” The Journal of Interdisciplinary History 4, no. 1 (1973): 25-52.

During the 1800s, there was several diseases affecting people left and right. “Diseases such as tuberculosis, smallpox, measles, chickenpox, cholera, whooping cough and influenza, among others” (“1800s: My Place, Diseases”) were some of the known diseases that would cripple or cause death to multiple people. Often Plantation owners and their slaves would have the same diseases, but plantation owners had a higher chance at surviving than slaves did. Doctors would prescribe the same treatment to anyone with a disease, usually natural herbs or bleeding out. Doctors from England that lived in America could no longer visit England for medical advice after the Revolutionary War, so several doctors started to improvise with many different remedies

Phases of feminist debate surrounding issues of suffrage and parliamentary participation caused great political change. ‘In the nineteenth century women had no place in national politics … it was assumed that women did not need to vote because their husbands would take responsibility in political matters’ . Prior to 1918, women were not allowed to vote in parliamentary elections. In the UK there were many groups advocating for women’s suffrage who believed the in the philosophy of ‘deeds not words’ Hunger strikes were common with women who were imprisoned for political reasons, this creating large publicity. The Prisoners' Temporary Discharge for Ill-Health Act, also known as 'The Cat and Mouse Act' was passed in 1913. This permitted the early

The evolution of the rights of woman in Australia owes much to successive waves of feminism, or the woman’s movement. The first of these took place in the late 19th century and was concerned largely with gaining the right to vote and to stand for election into parliament. The second wave of feminism took place in the 1960s and 1970s and focused on gaining equality with men in other areas, such as work, the law and general social standing. These protests for the changing rights and freedoms of woman targeted many different aspects of life and presented a broader challenge to traditional ideas of

The disease had many different causes, some of which were the Yersinia Pestis bacterium which was

The fight for women’s rights in England exploded in the mid-nineteenth century and saw figures like John Stuart Mill and Emmeline Pankhurst publishing feminist articles. The desire for equal rights had already existed and the leaders of the movement gave these women a voice. Goals varied depending on who was asked, but the overall goal of being equal with or closer to being equal with men was prevalent to them all. Some desired complete equality under the law

The medieval times had no education or knowledge of ways to prevent such a disease from overtaking them. Doctors of the time were completely unable to prevent or cure it. They were, in a ways, stuck with this dreadful killer and their only choices were to wait it all off. Nowadays, doctors and researchers have studied so much into the plagues capabilities, they know of treatments that can either sustain, if not, cure Yersinia pestis from overtaking another era. At home treatments were found to be somewhat reliable to the plague and one includes using vinegar and rose water to drench over an infected body to help cleanse of the bacterias toxins. Cures such as cooked onions, arsenic, sitting in sewers, and fumigating homes with herbs were tried. Apparently the black swellings were also thought

The Medieval Era was a time of knights and castles, royals and peasants, plague and famine, war and death. In the 1300’s a devastating plague swept across of most of Europe and Asia. It killed millions of people. Upon reaching Britain it killed over one-third the population. The Black Death, in only a few years, had left a permanent mark on Britain, its economy, the feudalism system and its culture through the cause of the major population decline in the 14th century.

Although more prevalent amongst the working class, tuberculosis and typhus fever were contracted by all populations in Victorian England. People of the upper and middle classes could afford treatment while the poor were often subjected to unsanitary, disease-ridden living conditions. Charity schools were common places of infection due to inedible food and a vulnerability to contagion, i.e., the necessity of sharing beds and drinking from a common cup. F.B. Smith confirms the increased likelihood of disease within charity schools in his book The Retreat of Tuberculosis. He states "Charity school children displayed above average rates (of

As the infection spread further and took more lives, more people felt desperate to seek help from Churches and medical centers. Although many church officials, physicians, and government tried their best, neither organization had successful attempt to treat or save the patients.6 Churches preformed prayers to comfort people7. Some government officials, who remained alive, took harsh measurements and allowed a certain number of ships on board as well as banned travel for a limited number of days8. In some cities like Milan, “the government officials directed city workers to seal up all homes affected by the plague to avoid further spread. Both sick and healthy were trapped inside”.9 These measurements were crucial but helped slow the spread

The controversial question about whether Margaret Thatcher was a feminist or not is still a hot topic. The many different views and perspectives of Margaret Thatcher’s involvement in feminism has raised many questions among historians and writers. As Margaret Thatcher famously said “In politics, if you want anything said ask a man, if you want anything done ask a woman.” She evoked a wide range of opinions, which led to her being categorised as a feminist or as being opposed to it. The many actions she took in her early years of her political career shared a different perspective on Margaret Thatcher and her involvement in feminism than as seen in her later life when her career was taking off.

Josephine Butler was born on the 13th of April in 1828 in Milfield Hill Northumberland, and she was the seventh child of John Grey and his wife, Hannah Annett. Born during the Victorian era, she was a revolutionary activist and a leader of a National Women’s Political campaign. Inspired by her father, who was a leading liberal and agricultural reform in the English border country, Josephine became aware of the terror of slavery and mistreatment of women, which sparked her care for the imprisoned and ill prostitutes. During the time, women were not allowed to vote, but Josephine managed to repeal the Contagious Disease Act, which was an act strongly supported by the public. This act was passed as a rationale to protect military men from getting sexually transmitted diseases from prostitutions, but allowed the latter to be sexually assaulted by police officers as they checked them for venereal disease. By repealing the act, Josephine Butler highlighted the great injustice that prostitutions faced. Moreover, she also campaigned for higher education for women, and sought equal suffrages. Nevertheless, she never became the national heroine of her time as compared to Florence Nightingale, and her accomplishments were much undermined. This essay narrates the exciting and complex journey of Josephine Butler, the influences she received throughout her life, as she struggled through her campaign that made her the historical heroine of today.