Poverty was the major factor in the Victorian Era. Poor nutrition lead to malnutrition and vitamin deficiencies and in some cases death. Obesity was also a common factor due to families eating cheap food since they couldn't afford it. However, poverty being a major factor lead people to starve to death. Here are 5 common diseases during this era:
Cholera:
One of the most common diseases in the 19th century was caused by drinking contaminated water. Cholera causes a slowing in the blood circulation causing the skin to turn blue and shrunken with inevitable death. The believes back then were being afraid of the disease could increase your chances of getting it, and the sun, comets, or too much oxygen in the air. Others stopped eating vegetables and fruits as a way to keep from getting the disease.
Chicken Pox:
One of the most common of the diseases of children. It shows in the form of little, round spots; the illness is preceded by symptoms of fever, chills, headaches, weariness, and sometimes aching in the back and limbs. The disease is extremely infectious and incredibly itchy. Many were affected by it in the 19th century.
Diphtheria:
Another common childhood disease in the Victorian Era and, highly contagious was Diphtheria, the formation of a thick gray membrane in a child's throat making it difficult to breathe. Fever and weakness also accompanied the growth and quite often resulted in death. Robert Koch, a German scientist, studied the disease and came to the conclusion the "bacillus'" bacteria to be the cause. Also, as the bacteria flows through the body, it damages cells. Two medical students created an "antitoxin" which would both prevent and cure the disease.
Tuberculosis:
Tuberculosis is an infectious lung disease that killed one in four people during the Victorian Era. This disease greatly decreased in the 1940s when antibiotics and the BCG vaccine were discovered. The symptoms are flu-like symptoms which progress to a persistent cough, the spurting of blood caused by lesion of the lung tissue,and weight loss or general wasting of the muscles.
Small Pox:
Another widely feared disease is small pox. Even though, it greatly affects children, it can also affect adults. Small pox is a virus that causes small blister-like bumps on the skin, mouth and throat, sometimes the swelling causing difficulty in breathing. However, once you catch it and experience it, you can't get it again. This disease was powerfully feared in the Victorian Era.
Cholera:
One of the most common diseases in the 19th century was caused by drinking contaminated water. Cholera causes a slowing in the blood circulation causing the skin to turn blue and shrunken with inevitable death. The believes back then were being afraid of the disease could increase your chances of getting it, and the sun, comets, or too much oxygen in the air. Others stopped eating vegetables and fruits as a way to keep from getting the disease.
Chicken Pox:
One of the most common of the diseases of children. It shows in the form of little, round spots; the illness is preceded by symptoms of fever, chills, headaches, weariness, and sometimes aching in the back and limbs. The disease is extremely infectious and incredibly itchy. Many were affected by it in the 19th century.
Diphtheria:
Another common childhood disease in the Victorian Era and, highly contagious was Diphtheria, the formation of a thick gray membrane in a child's throat making it difficult to breathe. Fever and weakness also accompanied the growth and quite often resulted in death. Robert Koch, a German scientist, studied the disease and came to the conclusion the "bacillus'" bacteria to be the cause. Also, as the bacteria flows through the body, it damages cells. Two medical students created an "antitoxin" which would both prevent and cure the disease.
Tuberculosis:
Tuberculosis is an infectious lung disease that killed one in four people during the Victorian Era. This disease greatly decreased in the 1940s when antibiotics and the BCG vaccine were discovered. The symptoms are flu-like symptoms which progress to a persistent cough, the spurting of blood caused by lesion of the lung tissue,and weight loss or general wasting of the muscles.
Small Pox:
Another widely feared disease is small pox. Even though, it greatly affects children, it can also affect adults. Small pox is a virus that causes small blister-like bumps on the skin, mouth and throat, sometimes the swelling causing difficulty in breathing. However, once you catch it and experience it, you can't get it again. This disease was powerfully feared in the Victorian Era.
This is a picture of an asylum hospital in the Victorian Era.