Paul Laxton and Richard Rodger, Insanitary City: Henry Littlejohn and the Condition of Edinburgh

A groundbreaking 1865 report by Sir Henry Littlejohn, Edinburgh's first medical officer of health, exposed the severe public health crises in the city's Old Town, revealing conditions so dire that they surpassed even those of Manchester and Liverpool. The study, analyzed by Laxton and Rodger, combines historical records, maps, and contemporary photographs to demonstrate how systemic neglect, political inertia, and extreme poverty led to widespread disease and deprivation. It highlights the political underpinnings of public health failures, offering a seminal contribution to epidemiological investigation and social reform in 19th-century Scotland.

Luckin, B. (2014). Paul Laxton and Richard Rodger, Insanitary City: Henry Littlejohn and the Condition of Edinburgh. Social History of Medicine, 28(1), 204–206. https://doi.org/10.1093/shm/hku101