Perceptions of Late Victorian Air Pollution

A general problem of environmental history is to understand the relationship between the effects of environmental pollution and its social perception. Some have argued that environmentalism arises as a response to environmental stress (e.g., Pfister’s 1950s syndrome), while others have felt that pollution is probably a necessary disposition but not a sufficient reason for changing perceptions of the environment. The subtitle to this book reminds us that we cannot ignore that the perception of pollution takes place within the broadest social context.