Sanitation: pragmatism works.

At some time in the 1780s the Industrial Revolution began—firstly in Britain then in other European countries. Technical and commercial advances enabled European societies to break through their pre-industrial production ceiling, initiating the seemingly limitless multiplication of goods and services. Expanding industry attracted labourers and their families to towns and cities, which grew rapidly, at the expense of rural areas. In terms of economic output these transformations were an immense success; in terms of human wellbeing they were not. Unplanned urbanisation, appalling working conditions, and low wages led to a deterioration in the health of much of the population. In Britain, where these changes occurred first and most rapidly, average life expectancy at birth actually declined during the first half of the 19th century.