Sanitary Reform Movement (jan 14, 1845 – dec 1, 1880)

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Around the mid-1800s many subscribed to the Filth Theory which states that general filthy conditions, rather than specific germs, led to diseases and deaths. e.g. Chadwick in England 1848. They looked to the putrid conditions of the congested areas in industrial cities and the fact that people living there were often sick as evidence of this causality. The sanitarians at that time believed also in collecting data and mapping unsanitary conditions across the cities. They focused on the improving the living environment in industrial cities and sanitary planning. Over time these sanitary surveys and sewer plans corroborated with street improvement projects and greatly increased the COMPREHENSIVENESS of plans: multi-purpose, citywide, and integrated with other public works.
The Sanitarians left a legacy of public policy to improve the living environments by changing people's behaviors.
The Sanitary Reform Movement nurtured a "townsite consciousness" which promoted low density, airy and verdant spaces through a design-oriented approach.

On the other hand, the Germ Theory and Pasteur's work came to be more accepted in the 1850's and by 1880's began to push out the Filth Theory. This led to development of modern-day medicine (vaccines etc). This branch focused more on technological improvement to improve health and life expectancy rather than on affecting behavior.

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