What was the sanitary conditions prevailing in 19th century England?

Question

Was there presence of "open gutters" and how was human excreta discharged from homes. especially in crowded areas? Through "human scavengers"?
I have to prepare a report on this underprivileged section of society - and what measures were taken by the Government to elevate their status?

Answer 1

Surprisingly enough, they weren't so bad for the middle class. Try searching Mrs. Beeton -- she wrote a famous housekeeping book that has some of the details of cleanliness, and I think it might be on the Gutenberg project.

But if you are talking lower-classes -- well, just how clean is it for lower-classes today? You've got some cleanliness freaks who keep a tidy home no matter how poor they are, and then you've got some who are mentally ill and collect trash in their houses (and even defecate in the rooms!). In general, things have improved, but I think you can find instances of squalor in *any* time period. Just how representative of the time period is it?

Answer 2

The sewerage used to be pumped into the Thames.
Toilets were whistle and thuds, and the honey suckers used to come out at night and empty them. Some people called them the bucket brigade. We still had them in Harare in the 60's.

Answer 3

they must have used cess pits.
the victorians did embark on a major program of pipes taking effluant to the sea which solved the problem of bacteria getting into the water supply and causing disease.

Answer 4

Pretty dodgy - there's heaps on the net...keep looking.