Contagion in the capital: exploring the impact of urbanisation and infectious disease risk on child health in nineteenth-century London, England

Newman, S. L. and Hodson, C. M. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3408-2871 (2021) Contagion in the capital: exploring the impact of urbanisation and infectious disease risk on child health in nineteenth-century London, England. Childhood in the Past, 14 (2). pp. 177-192. ISSN 1758-5716 doi: 10.1080/17585716.2021.1956059

Abstract/Summary

Nineteenth-century London was notorious for overcrowding, poor housing, and heavy air pollution. With a large proportion of its population living in conditions of poverty, diseases flourished as people were increasingly drawn to the industrialising centres of England in search of employment opportunities. Utilising historical documentary and skeletal evidence, this paper explores the impact of increasing urbanisation on non-adult (those aged 0–17 years) health, particularly in relation to exposure to a multitude of infectious diseases in circulation during this time. Focusing on the community of St Bride’s Church, London, it highlights the greater susceptibility of infants and children to risk of severe morbidity and mortality from infectious diseases, particularly amongst the lower classes. When considered against the socio-political, cultural and economic milieu of nineteenth-century London, this reveals how the multi-faceted process of urbanisation exacerbated ill-health, increased susceptibility to deadly infectious pathogens, and ultimately further marginalised its poorest inhabitants.

Item Type	Article
URI	https://reading-clone.eprints-hosting.org/id/eprint/99680
Identification Number/DOI	10.1080/17585716.2021.1956059
Refereed	Yes
Divisions	Science > School of Archaeology, Geography and Environmental Science > Social Archaeology Interdisciplinary Research Centres (IDRCs) > Centre for Health Humanities (CHH) Science > School of Archaeology, Geography and Environmental Science > Department of Archaeology
Publisher	Taylor & Francis
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