Chadwick

Chadwick Edwin (Edwin Chadwick; 1800-90), one of the most prominent sanitary figures of the 19th century and a principal author of sanitary legislation in England. A pupil and follower of Bentham, he began his activity during the rise of the English revolutionary workers' movement (Chartism). C. took the closest part in the work of the Royal Commission, which was engaged in developing the poor law and implementing it (1832-46). Subsequently, he worked on issues of improving the country's sanitary conditions, and he considered scientifically organized sanitary statistics to be the foundation of serious sanitary measures. His numerous works had a great influence on the development of public hygiene and sanitary legislation in mid-19th century England, and his historical report on the sanitary conditions of the working population ("Sanitary conditions of the labouring population", L., 1842) served as one of the reasons for the enactment of the first Public Health Act and the establishment in 1848 of the General Board of Health.