175 years of public health in Birmingham

Public health has long been a major concern in the United Kingdom's biggest cities, from efforts to control the spread of infection in the slum dwellings of Victorian England to mass vaccination during the Covid-19 pandemic.

We can trace the beginning of organised civic responsibilities for public health back to 1847, when Liverpool appointed the first Medical Officer of Health.

In the 175 years that followed, Birmingham, like many other cities, has put the health of its citizens at the forefront of its civic agenda, with Medical Officers of Health and more recently its Directors of Public Health playing a central role.

In 2022, to celebrate 175 years of public health, the Public Health Division commissioned a public report looking into the history in Birmingham.

Download the report