The Welfare Provided For British People at the Beginning of World War Two

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The Welfare Provided For British People at the Beginning of World War Two 1. The welfare at the beginning of world war two covers many areas such as health insurance, unemployment insurance, pensions and childcare. The first subject I'm going to discuss is health insurance. Health care or health insurance started early on in the century. In 1907 a school medical service was provided which tested children's health and recommended treatment when needed. In 1912 this was improved and children could now be treated for free in their school clinics. During the 1900's there was a growing fear that people of Britain were becoming degenerate. So in 1907 the notification of births act was brought out and it said whenever a baby was born the local medical officer was to be informed to provide a health visitor and provide a health check and advise treatment when needed. Also between the world wars maternity bags where provided to pregnant mothers to make sure the mothers and the babies survive. TB was a massive killer and in 1929 the ministry of health ordered all milk to be pasteurized so that it could not be passed from cattle to humans. From the 1930's free vaccinations for whooping cough, smallpox, scarlet fever, measles and polio. In 1910 a German scientist developed a drug called salvarsan. It was the first drug that selectively killed germs. Also in 1928 Alexander Fleming developed a drug called penicillin that killed most bacterium. All the drugs and law acts passed helped keep Britain healthier and helped increase the life expectancy of everybody in Britain and also helped to create the welfare state. In 1911 the national insurance act was passed. In return of paying insurance the worker got payed on sick pay 10 shillings a week for 26 weeks aswell as free medical treatment. The second part of this act came into power in the next year 1912. This allowed a worker to be unemployed for 15 weeks a year and get payed 7 shillings a week. In 1920 the government brought a new act in, paying benefit to the wives

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