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Maternity care; a public concern

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Abstract

Until the foundation in the later 18th century of the charitable lying-in hospitals and dispensaries for the relief of the sick poor, maternity care, like medical care in general in Britain, was a matter only of personal concern. The concept of public health began to develop in the 19th century when the important influence on it of the physical environment, particularly in the rapidly growing towns, was coming to be realized. Enlightened policies were implemented by sanitary engineers for the provision of uncontaminated water supplies and the safe removal of sewage. These ambitious reforms were soon rewarded by striking reductions in deaths from cholera, typhoid and other infections. The extent of these reductions could be measured, for since 1837 in England and Wales and 1855 in Scotland the State had made the registration of deaths compulsory.

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Authors
  1. Marjorie Tew
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© 1990 M. Tew

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Tew, M. (1990). Maternity care; a public concern. In: Safer Childbirth?. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-2975-4_5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-2975-4_5

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-0-412-33740-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4899-2975-4

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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