1848 Metropolitan Sanitary Commission. Second and Third Report of the Commissioners

Description

Colour Plates, First Edition, Folding Maps, Folding Plates, Illustrated, Very Scarce

The very scarce second and third reports of this commission, both published in 1848.

Appointed by the Crown, the commissioners were tasked with determining what special measures might be needed to improve the health of the metropolis, in response to rising concerns about disease, overcrowding, and inadequate sanitation.

The reports document the grave sanitary conditions affecting much of London’s working-class population, highlighting problems such as open cesspools, foul drains, contaminated water supplies, and densely packed, poorly ventilated housing.

Offering empirical evidence and case studies illustrating the dire consequences of neglecting urban sanitation.

Third report illustrated with a folding hand coloured plan of the sewers of Westminster. Collated, complete.

These reports were instrumental in shaping Victorian sanitary reform, influencing both the Public Health Act of 1848 and the creation of bodies like the General Board of Health.