Historical perspectives on health: The emergence of the Sanitary Inspector in Victorian Britain

Sanitary reform, especially that required by the Public Health Acts (1872, 1875) needed a well trained body of Sanitary Inspectors. The Sanitary Institute and other professional organisations set about improving the qualifications and standing of the people who were charged with creating a healthier urban environment on a day-to-day basis. The structures created at that time have changed much, but we can still recognise the posts, the professional associations and the journals that were created in late Victorian times. This is a testament to the quality and flexibility of the pioneering work done a century ago.