| Date | Event/Person | Significance |
|---|---|---|
| 1348-49 | Black Death arrives in England | Killed ~1/3 of population; exposed limits of medieval medicine |
| 1543 | Vesalius publishes De Humani Corporis Fabrica | Proved Galen had 300 errors; began challenge to ancient authority |
| 1628 | Harvey proves blood circulation | Transformed understanding of the body but not immediate treatments |
| 1842 | Chadwick's Sanitary Report | Used statistics to prove link between poverty and disease; triggered reform debate |
| 1848 | First Public Health Act | Voluntary only — showed government beginning to accept responsibility |
| 1854 | Snow's Broad Street investigation | Proved water-borne transmission of cholera; early epidemiology |
| 1858 | Great Stink; Bazalgette's sewers commissioned | Political will + investment = tangible improvement in public health |
| 1861 | Pasteur's Germ Theory | Replaced humours and miasma; explained HOW disease spread |
| 1875 | Second Public Health Act | COMPULSORY — councils must provide clean water and sewage; major turning point |
| 1928 | Fleming discovers penicillin | First antibiotic; transformed treatment of bacterial infections |
| 1942 | Beveridge Report | Blueprint for welfare state; huge popular support |
| 1948 | NHS founded (Bevan) | Universal free healthcare; world's first; 8.5m dental treatments in year 1 |
This key facts covers Key Evidence: The People's Health Timeline within The People's Health, c.1250-present for GCSE History. Revise The People's Health, c.1250-present in Component Group 1 — Thematic Studies for GCSE History with 14 exam-style questions and 17 flashcards. This topic shows up very often in GCSE exams, so students should be able to explain it clearly, not just recognise the term. It is section 7 of 16 in this topic. Use this key facts to connect the idea to the wider topic before moving on to questions and flashcards.
Practice questions for The People's Health, c.1250-present
Describe two features of medieval beliefs about the causes of disease.
Describe two responses to the Black Death in England.
Quick recall flashcards
What was Miasma Theory?
The belief that disease spread through foul-smelling 'bad air' from rotting matter, sewage, and corpses. Wrong about the cause, but accidentally encouraged avoiding infected areas.
What were the Four Humours (Galen)?
Blood, phlegm, yellow bile, black bile. Galen taught that disease was caused by imbalance of these fluids. Treatments aimed to restore balance — bleeding, purging, vomiting. Dominated medicine until the 19th century.