British Leaders: John Snow, Edwin Chadwick and William Henry Beveridge

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John Snow
John Snow born on the 15th March 1813 – 16th June 1858 grew up in the poorest region of York and subsequently specialised his life establishing the link between the cholera infection he had first encountered in 1831 in Newcastle and water as its vector. Snow’s most famous attribute was his research relating to the cholera outbreak in the London Epidemic of 1854. ‘On proceeding to the spot, I found that nearly all the deaths had taken place within a short distance of the [Broad Street] pump. There were only ten deaths in houses situated decidedly nearer to another street-pump. In five of these cases the families of the deceased persons informed me that they always sent to the pump in Broad Street, as they preferred the water to that of the pumps which were nearer. In three other cases, the deceased were children who went to school near the pump in Broad Street’ (John Snow, letter to the editor of the Medical Times and Gazette September 23rd 1854)
His research and his theory of foul air had helped him build a creditable premise relating a communal well pump on Broad Street to the outbreak of cholera cases, encouraging the local council to deactivate the access to the pump. This accomplishment has been since seen in many people’s eyes as the main reason for the diminishment of the cholera epidemic of 1854. Following the deactivation of the well pump on Broad Street Snow then continued his study into the causes of the cholera outbreak. Presenting the information snow had collected he published an illustration of a dot map showing the clusters of cholera surrounding the pump; he also presented statistics showing the connection between the quality of the water source and the cholera cases. John Snow proved that the Southwark a...

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...nterested Beveridge in the causes of unemployment began in 1903, working in a settlement house named Toynbee Hall He worked closely with Husband and wife English Socialist Economists and Labour Party activists Sidney and Beatrice Webb and became hugely influenced by their theories of Social reform and from there on Beveridge became a social reformer active in promoting old age pensions, free school meals and campaigning for a national system for labour exchanges. During the Liberal Government of 1906 to 1914 Winston Churchill invited Beveridge to join the Board of Trade where Beveridge implemented the national system of labour exchanges and civil National Insurance to help reduce and maintain low levels of unemployment and poverty. After contributing towards controlling manpower during the First World War he was knighted and made secretary to the Ministry of Food.

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