Cradle to Grave: Public Health workshop

Hold on to your top hats! This workshop takes students on a whistlestop tour of all things public health – from 1848 to the present day.

Immerse yourself in Victorian Leeds, before deciding what needs to be done to improve the lives of the people you encounter. From privies to pensions, discover how the government has a role to play in keeping us all healthy.

What will my students do in this session?

Students will begin the session on Disease Steet, joining the ranks of the Local Board of Health to investigate the environmental hazards of industrial 1840s Leeds. Back in the classroom, they will assist Edwin Chadwick and Robert Baker in lobbying for change. Then, they will work in groups to explore a range of reforms, before scrutinising unique evidence from the museum collection to decide just how successful these laws really were.

What will my students learn in this session?

Students will identify health hazards arising from industrialisation in the nineteenth century.
Students will describe the ways in which these issues have been addressed since 1848. They will evaluate the impact of government intervention on public health.