Regional differences in the mid-Victorian diet and their impact on health

Abstract

SummaryThe aim of this study was to examine the impact of regional diets on the health of the poor in mid-Victorian Britain. Contemporary surveys of regional diets and living condition were reviewed. This information was compared with mortality data from Britain over the same period. Although there was an overall improvement in life expectancy during the latter part of the 19th century, there were large regional differences in lifestyle, diet and mortality rates. Dietary surveys showed that the poor labouring population in isolated rural areas of England, in the mainland and islands of Scotland and in the west of Ireland enjoyed the most nutritious diets. These regions also showed the lowest mortality rates in Britain. This was not simply the result of better sanitation and less mortality from food and waterborne infections but also fewer deaths from pulmonary tuberculosis, which is typically associated with better nutrition. These more isolated regions where a peasant-style culture provided abundant locally produced cheap foodstuffs such as potatoes, vegetables, whole grains, and milk and fish, were in the process of disappearing in the face of increasing urbanisation. This was to the detriment of many rural poor during the latter half of the century. Conversely, increasing urbanisation, with its improved transport links, brought greater availability and diversity of foods to many others. It was this that that led to an improved nutrition and life expectancy for the majority in urbanising Britain, despite the detrimental effects of increasing food refinement.

Multidisciplinary investigations of the diets of two post-medieval populations from London using stable isotopes and microdebris analysis

“…The inclusion of both military personnel and civilians in the burial population at the Queen’s Chapel of the Savoy means that some variation in protein intake would be expected. In contrast, individuals from St Barnabas/St Mary Abbots may have been able to access larger quantities of protein and afford more expensive cuts of meat and fish due to their higher socioeconomic status (Oddy 1970; Greaves 2018)…”

Impact of diet on health and longevity in London 1850–1880

“…20 In this respect, the diets in these outer suburbs were a parallel to those associated with the best longevity observed in the northern regions of England, Scotland and the west of Ireland that retained a peasant-style dietary tradition. 30 All these conditions were also in the process of evolving in the face of increasing urbanisation and delocalisation of food supply. Nevertheless, improvements in living conditions, better transport links and cheaper foods, ultimately led to an improvement for many of London's poor.…”

“… 20 In this respect, the diets in these outer suburbs were a parallel to those associated with the best longevity observed in the northern regions of England, Scotland and the west of Ireland that retained a peasant-style dietary tradition. 30 …”

Nostalgia for the old country—A histological exploration of early childhood physiological stress experiences in colonial Otago, New Zealand

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