The summer of 1849 saw a serious and widespread outbreak of the
water-borne disease cholera. In just three months, over 10,000
people died of the disease in London alone. In September 1849,
Mayhew wrote a letter to The Morning Chronicle, providing
details of a visit he made to the London district of Bermondsey.
On Mayhew's suggestion, the editor of the newspaper commissioned
an investigation into the living conditions of the working
classes in England and Wales. As a result, at least one article
appeared everyday for the rest of the year and for most of 1850.
This dramatically raised the profile of the public health
campaign. This source is an extract taken from Mayhew's first
letter to The Morning Chronicle. It was published by the paper
on September 24th 1849. The extract refers in particular to an
area of south London known as Jacob's Island, a notorious slum.
- How has the media been used, in this case, to raise awareness
about the living conditions of the people in Jacob's Island? -
How does the language