Today, deaths from influenza, cholera and tuberculosis are rare in England; however, in Victorian England, these diseases and many other health problems were widespread. Victorian England was a time of great social, economic and political change. From the rise of factories to increasing urbanization, the lives of many Britons changed during the Victorian era. Ultimately, many facets of change have led to the transformation – both positive and negative – of one aspect of every citizen's life: health. Deadly epidemics became widespread and workers and ordinary citizens died from diseases caused by increased environmental pollution. Yet health reforms and advances in medicine also took place. Due to overcrowding, epidemic diseases spread extremely quickly in Victorian England. Life expectancy in Surrey at the time was 45 years, while in London it was 47 years (“Health and Hygiene”). One of the major problems was poor waste disposal: increased urbanization led to an increased flow of sewage, which flowed into more than 200,000 waste pits and, ultimately, into the River Thames, a source major source of drinking water. Charles Dickens said: “We pour it (dirt) into the rivers that run through our cities and pollute them as never before…” (Allingham). Polluted water led to cholera and typhoid, which were thought at the time to be caused by bad odors. The increasing pollution of the Thames led to the "Great Stench" of 1858, which not only stank but caused rapid growth of bacteria and therefore rapid spread of disease ("Health and Hygiene"). However, cholera and typhoid were not the worst epidemics because they were generally limited to contaminated water and poorer neighborhoods; diseases such as tuberculosis, typhus and influenza had no geographical barriers. E...... middle of paper ......011. Internet. March 02, 2014.Douglas, Laurelyn. “Health and hygiene in the 19th century”. Health and hygiene in the 19th century. October 11, 2002. The web. March 02, 2014.Douglas, Laurelyn. “Medical Developments in Britain During the Nineteenth Century.” Medical developments in Britain during the 19th century. April 1991. Web. March 02, 2014.Douglas, Laurelyn. “Victorian Attitudes Toward Health.” Victorian attitudes towards health. April 1991. Web. March 02, 2014. Salisbury, Joyce and Andrew Kersten. “Health and Medicine in Victorian England.” Daily life throughout history. ABC-CLIO, 2014. Web. March 2, 2014. Salisbury, Joyce and Andrew Kersten. “Urban and rural life in Victorian England.” Daily life throughout history. ABC-CLIO, 2014. Web. March 2, 2014. Wohl, Anthony S. “Sanitation and Disease Among the Rich and the Poor.” » Sanitation and disease among the rich and the poor. 1989. the web. March 2. 2014.