BMJ 2003;326:345-346 ( 15 February )

Editorials

Congestion charging and the walking classes

New charge tackles road danger at its source

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

Two hundred years ago London was a cesspit. Its streets were awash with sewage and infectious disease was a deadly scourge of the urban poor. The man credited for cleaning up the mess was a tenacious London politician called Edwin Chadwick.1 His 1842 report Survey into the Sanitary Conditions of the Labouring Classes was a landmark in public health with its graphic descriptions of how filthy living conditions were a key factor in the spread of infectious disease.2 Chadwick battled hard for sanitary reform, waging political war against those opposed to central government intervention in public health matters. His opponents argued that people were clever enough to manage their own affairs, claiming there was "insanity in sanity."1 But Chadwick won through and is now acclaimed as the instigator of the most important public health reform of the 19th century.

The sewage has long gone, but now the streets of London . . . [Full text of this article]
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This article has been cited by other articles:

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Rapid Responses:

Read all Rapid Responses

Excellent, but just one note of caution
Harry Rutter
bmj.com, 14 Feb 2003 [Full text]
Traffic congestion is traffic calming
Helena Tunstall
bmj.com, 15 Feb 2003 [Full text]
Never Underestimate Human Laziness.
Mark P Durham
bmj.com, 17 Feb 2003 [Full text]
A member of the 'walking class' replies
Carole J Caldwell
bmj.com, 18 Feb 2003 [Full text]
Is congestion charging good enough?
Christian A Gericke
bmj.com, 21 Feb 2003 [Full text]
The walking classes also need road-space reallocation
Michael Joffe, et al.
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