Updated Gin Lane exemplifies modern day public health challenges

This modern day interpretation of William Hogarth’s Gin Lane was commissioned by the Royal Society for Public Health to mark its 160th anniversary.

In his 1751 etching and engraving Hogarth depicted the evils of drinking gin in support of the Gin Act. The act prohibited gin distillers from selling to unlicensed merchants and increased fees charged to larger retailers to discourage gin drinking, which had been linked to petty crime. Instead people were encouraged to drink beer, and the import of tea, as a non-alcoholic alternative, was encouraged.

The Royal Society for Public Health …