Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Search research articles

Related Experiment Videos

Industrialization and health.

Simon Szreter¹

¹University of Cambridge, St John's College, Cambridge, UK. SRSS@cam.ac.uk

British Medical Bulletin

|July 1, 2004

Summary

Economic growth historically caused population health challenges. Industrialization did not automatically improve health, as shown by the British experience, where political factors influenced outcomes.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Infant mortality and social causality: Lessons from the history of Britain's public health movement, c. 1834-1914.

The British journal of sociology·2024

Same author

The Capacity to Surprise: On the Importance of History for Public Health Policy.

American journal of public health·2020

Same author

Health, welfare, and the state-the dangers of forgetting history.

Lancet (London, England)·2017

Same author

"We weren't the sort that wanted intimacy every night": Birth control and abstinence in England, c.1930-60.

The history of the family : an international quarterly·2015

Same author

The Prevalence of Syphilis in England and Wales on the Eve of the Great War: Re-visiting the Estimates of the Royal Commission on Venereal Diseases 1913-1916.

Social history of medicine : the journal of the Society for the Social History of Medicine·2014

Same author

The way forward.

Lancet (London, England)·2007

Area of Science:

Public Health
Economic History
Demography

Background:

Traditional theories suggest industrialization and economic growth improve population health.
Historical evidence challenges the assumption that economic growth inherently leads to better health outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

To critically evaluate the relationship between economic growth and population health.
To examine historical evidence, particularly the British industrialization case, to understand health impacts.

Main Methods:

Review of historical demographic and anthropometric data.
Detailed case study of British industrialization, analyzing socio-political factors.

Main Results:

Empirical evidence contradicts the notion that industrialization automatically enhances population health.
All industrialized nations experienced significant disruption, deprivation, disease, and death ('four Ds').
Resolution of political conflicts in favor of working-class health interests was crucial.

Conclusions:

The link between economic growth and population health is complex and not universally positive.
Industrialization's health impact is contingent on socio-political factors and policy decisions.
Understanding historical health challenges is vital for contemporary economic development strategies.

Related Experiment Videos