To what extent was the IR (1750-1900) a period of progress in Britain in terms of health?

In terms of health, improvement in treatment allowed for significant progress during the Industrial
Revolution in Britain. Through his knowledge of Pasteur's germ theory and multiple experiments, Joseph
Lister discovered that spraying a tiny mist of carbolic acid directly over the wound limited infection
during surgery. Lister’s own records reveal that from 1864 to 1866, out of the 35 people that did not use
antiseptics, 16 died, and from 1867 to 1870, out of 40 people who did use antiseptics, only 6 died. His
recordings show that antiseptics did work and that there was a decrease in deaths. Due to this, more
health measures were being employed during surgery. For example, all instruments had to be steam-
sterilized and rubber gloves be used. This shows major progression because many more challenging
surgical procedures were being successfully performed. Lister’s ideas allowed for significant health
progression during the Industrial Revolution in Britain because surgeons became more vigilent about
ensuring cleanliness during surgery, which helped decrease deaths.

This confirms lister’s discovery and shows approximately a 30% decrease in deaths.

Discovered, revealed

Evidence; Germ theory - understand germs, could create medical technologies to kill the germs -> life
expectancy increased