ABSTRACT

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.

摘要

19 世纪的伦敦因过度拥挤、住房条件差和空气污染严重而臭名昭著。由于很大一部分人口生活在贫困中，随着人们越来越多地被吸引到英格兰的工业化中心寻找就业机会，疾病肆虐。本文利用历史文献和骨骼证据，探讨了城市化进程对非成人（0-17 岁的人）健康的影响，特别是与在此期间暴露于传播中的多种传染病有关的影响。它以伦敦圣新娘教堂社区为重点，强调婴儿和儿童对传染病的严重发病率和死亡率风险的敏感性更高，尤其是在下层阶级中。当考虑到社会政治，