Public health is ‘The science and art of promoting and protecting health and well-being, preventing ill-health and prolonging life through the organized efforts of society’. Public health as we know it today has moved on from what is considered the origins in the 19th century. However the core principles to which it was set up and developed still remain the same. It has always been population based and it has always ensured people stay healthy and avoid getting ill. To understand public health you must look at the developments from the 19th century to modern day, the social reformers who made changes to law and the way people live there lives. Also understand the key factors and strategies used to help evolve it to accommodate modern Brittan.

The term public health has been used in Britain since the Victorian period. It was a time of radical change and a period when improving the health of the public was high on the agenda of governments. During this period there were many aspects that resulted in reform to public health. There was an alarming number of mortality statistics for this time. ‘Half of all children in Manchester in the 1830’s died before they reached the age of five’. (Walsh M Stephens 2005 p256) In Liverpool the statistics at this time were no better, labourers were lucky to live past their 15th birthday. Industrialisation had far reaching social effects. It transformed cities from an agrarian society to an industrial one. Combined with industrialisation you had urbanisation. These led to the development of circumstances that had damaging effects on public health. Another contributing factor to this need for better public health was poor sanitary conditions. Due to local populations being so over populated with overcrowded housing, this provided the ideal mixture for the spread of disease.

There are many conditions relating to the