Unit 12 M1- Compare historical and current features of Public Health.

In this part of the assessment I am going to compare elements of historical Public health to the elements of today. By looking at my timeline presented in P2 I am going to research and compare these elements to those of today. Them concluding the overall comparison of the both. In the 19th century public health was less of a function of government and instead it was a function of charitable organizations and volunteers. These were people how left that they had a religious duty to do so and work to help the poor, and those who were against their living conditions. After time science gained a better understanding of the causes of diseases and how they were spread and worked. This then caused public pressure on then government to study and research the illnesses, keep statistics and provide an early warning of epidemencs.

For example of a UK policy in the 19th century is The Poor Law Amendment Act of 1834, this was to insure that the lower class people were being looked after by charity or the landowners and also by they higher class people and the wealthy people, also that anyone that was not disabled and was capable should not receive help or relief unless they worked in a workhouse or with orphans, abandoned children, the elderly, of if they were unmarried mothers, mentally or physically ill and sick. This act also provided strict conditions in the work houses, and ensure that the poor families worked than they would be provided with some type of housing, clothing, food and also education for children. The attitudes towards the poor were that they spent their money on drinking alcohol, gambling, and other immoral expenses, also that God had chosen this lifestyle for them and that people should not interfere of change with Gods plan.

In comparison to this we now have many organisations that