19th Century 2

A detailed Summary of 19th Century 2

Samuel Johnson wrote that the life of the common man living in Europe during the 18th century was "little to be enjoyed and much to be endured." (1) The masses of the 18th century lived short demanding lives. The life expectancy of the average person living in Europe during the 18th century was roughly 30 years. A combination of disease, scientific ignorance, and malnutrition was responsible for the surpisengly short lives of 18th century Europeans. (2)

During the Old Regime, Europeans were almost constantly bombarded with disease. Diseases like tuberculosis, typhoid fever and Smallpox were the great killers of the 18th century. (3) A study of the city of Edinburgh's death records for 1740 revealed that tuberculosis or smallpox that year caused almost half of the recorded deaths. (4) This study illustrates that disease was the most common killer of 18th century Europeans. Roughly 30 percent of infants died from disease before their first birthday. Mothers also ran a high chance of contracting disease during childbirth, thus many mothers died giving birth. Childbirth was such a risk to the women during of the 18th century that Madame de Sevigne told her daughter that if she wants to survive, "Don't get pregnant and don

't catch smallpox." (5) Disease was so rampant during the 18th century that even the rich and powerful could not avoid infection.

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The widespread acceptance of germ theory led to marvelous increases is medical treatment. When people realized that disease was transmitted by invisible (to the naked eye) organisms it caused them to become more conscious of keeping their surroundings sanitary. Doctors began washing their hands before handling patients. Germ theory also led to vaccinations that made people impervious to certain diseases. This scientific advance also facilitated the invention of antiseptics that significantly lowered the chance of infection during surgery. The discovery of anesthetics provided a treatment for pain inside and outside of the surgery room. Because of basic advances in science during the 19th century people could be treated for illnesses that they would usually die from, thus lowering the mortality rate.

18th Century Europe was a ruff and difficult place to survive. People were under constant threat of disease and famine. The threat of disease was heightened by a lack of scientific knowledge that led to unsanitary conditions and practices. The upper class was usually not a victim of malnutrition, thus was generally healthier. It was not until the advances in science during the 19th century that the mortality rate was lowered, by vaccinations, and more advanced medical procedures. Will science and technology increase to the extent that 20th century heath care is viewed as primitive as that of the 18th century?

Most people living during the Old Regime never received m

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Approximate Word count = 1148
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: History