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The Growth of Population in Eighteenth-Century England: A Critical Reappraisal

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 March 2009

Peter Razzell
Peter Razzell
Affiliation:
Research Fellow at the Wellcome Institute for the History of Medicine at Oxford University.
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Abstract

Population growth in eighteenth-century England was due mainly to a fall in mortality, which was particularly marked during the first half of the century. The fall affected all socioeconomic groups and does not appear to have occurred for primarily economic reasons. In addition to an explanation involving the introduction of smallpox inoculation, the major hypothesis considered in this article is that the significant improvement in domestic hygiene associated with the rebuilding of housing in brick and tile brought about a major reduction in mortality.

Type
Articles
Information
The Journal of Economic History , Volume 53 , Issue 4 , December 1993 , pp. 743 - 771
Copyright
Copyright © The Economic History Association 1993

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