'The most complete experiment in army hygiene' British military reform In sanitation from the Crimea to India : a comparative account of sanitary reform in the 19th century. (2017)

Type of Content
Theses / DissertationsDegree Name
Master of ArtsPublisher
University of CanterburyLanguage
EnglishCollections
Abstract
The history of sanitation is not generally considered a glamourous topic. It is far more common to see larger works relating to war, within which sanitation may be present as a footnote to explain those deaths not caused by battle. However, within the 19th Century, death in battle was significantly less common than death from illnesses and diseases associated with army and camp life. Within this thesis the nature of such deaths within the military populations of the British Army is discussed through analysis of two reforms in sanitation, namely the famous sanitary reforms of the Crimean war of 1854-56 and the significantly less well known sanitary reforms of the British Army in India, the official recommendations of which were proposed in 1863. Through examination and comparison of these reforms in sanitation, the efficacy of sanitary reform within this period is revealed. The impact of sanitary reform, although based in part on what is now recognised as flawed theory, in this case environmental miasmatic theory, proved extremely effective in both reducing rates of hospital admission and also the rate of death from various illnesses within both India and the Crimea. This improvement can be seen both on an active military campaign, and within a broader colonial deployment. Reform in sanitation proved to be a significant military asset as it allowed a much greater number of soldiers to be available or active at any time. In both cases reform was spurred on by conflict and supported by the increasing use and collection of medical data and statistics. This collection and use of medical statistics also highlighted the differences in mortality faced by those of different classes. The major differences in the mortality of those in different classes in turn revealed the cause of illness to be conditions of living. As a result of this, the sanitary reforms of the period were generally a call for improved living conditions so that disease could be prevented.
Rights
All Rights ReservedRelated items
Showing items related by title, author, creator and subject.
-
“Hygiene as the handmaid of civilisation” Sanitary reform in the Madras Presidency from 1863-1878 and the impact of race on its application.
Richardson, John (2021)One of the most significant movements to arise and gain momentum within the nineteenth century was the movement towards reform in public health and sanitation. This great sweeping movement aimed to reform most aspects of ... -
Prison Reform in Nineteenth-Century British-India
Clark, Joannah Kate (University of Canterbury. History, 2015)By the beginning of the nineteenth century imprisonment was slowly becoming the favoured form of punishment for criminals in Britain and wider Europe. The nineteenth century was therefore a time when penal institutions ... -
The expansion of British India during the second Mahratta war The strategic, logistic and political difficulties of the 2nd Anglo-Mahratta campaign of General Lake and Arthur Wellesley primarily against Dawlut Rao Scindia and Bhonsla Rajah of Berar
Richardson, John (University of Canterbury. History, 2014)The period of British colonialism and the expansion of British influence in India occurred over a number of years. This research paper focuses primarily on the period from 1798 to 1805, with particular reference to the ...