During the nineteenth century much of the Western world witnessed a period of social, political, and technological change that significantly altered the organization of society. A growing complexity in the machine of public administration propelled a new image of the state as a legal apparatus composed by people, for the benefit of the people. No other area embodied this transformation better than medicine.
In England and Wales, legal intervention became increasingly relevant as the century progressed. While the reign of George III introduced a few statutes regarding hospitals, quarantine, and apothecaries, it was during the Victorian period that health issues became a matter of periodic concern for the parliament. Important legislations addressed the regulation of medicine as a profession, compulsory vaccination, and urban sanitation. Standing bodies like the General Board of Health became crucial actors in the implementation of hygienic provisions throughout the country.
This table includes all major English laws dealing with medicine and public health passed during the nineteenth century. Click on the Name for accessing a PDF transcript of the statute. Original sources available on JustiOne (with subscription).
| Year | Name | Regnal Reference |
| 1773 | Lying in Hospitals Act | 13 Geo. III, c. LXXXII |
| 1800 | Quarantine Act | 39 & 40 Geo. III, c. LXXX |
| 1805 | Quarantine Act | 45 Geo. III, c. X |
| 1815 | Apothecaries Act | 55 Geo. III, c. CXCIV |
| 1825 | Quarantine Act | 6 Geo. IV, c. LXXVIII |
| 1832 | Anatomy Act | 2 & 3 Will. IV, c. 75 |
| 1836 | Coroners Act | 6 & 7 Will. IV, c. 89 |
| 1840 | Vaccination Act | 3 & 4 Vict., c. XXIX |
| 1846 | Nuisances Removal Act | 9 & 10 Vict., c. XCVI |
| 1848 | Public Health Act | 11 & 12 Vict., c. LXIII |
| 1848 | Nuisances Removal Act | 11 & 12 Vict., c. CXXIII |
| 1849 | Public Health Supplemental Act | 12 & 13 Vict., c. XCIV |
| 1849 | Nuisances Removal Act | 12 & 13 Vict., c. CXI |
| 1852 | Pharmacy Act | 15 & 16 Vict., c. LVI |
| 1853 | Vaccination Act | 16 & 17 Vict., c. C |
| 1854 | Public Health Act | 17 & 18 Vict., c. XCV |
| 1855 | Diseases Prevention Act | 18 & 19 Vict., c. CXVI |
| 1855 | Nuisances Removal (England) Act | 18 & 19 Vict., c. CXXI |
| 1855 | General Board of Health Continued Act | 18 & 19 Vict., c. CXV |
| 1858 | Medical Act | 21 & 22 Vic., c. 60 |
| 1858 | Local Government Act | 21 & 22 Vict., c. XCVIII |
| 1858 | Public Health Act | 21 & 22 Vict., c. XCVII |
| 1862 | Medical Council Act | 25 & 26 Vict., c. XCI |
| 1864 | Contagious Diseases Prevention Act | 27 & 28 Vict., c. LXXXV |
| 1866 | Sanitary Act | 29 & 30 Vict., c. XC |
| 1866 | Contagious Diseases Act | 29 & 30 Vict., c. XXXV |
| 1867 | Vaccination Act | 30 & 31 Vict., c. LXXXIV |
| 1869 | Contagious Diseases Act | 32 & 33 Vict., c. 96 |
| 1870 | Sanitary Act | 33 & 34 Vict., c. 53 |
| 1872 | Public Health Act | 35 & 36 Vict., c. 79 |
| 1874 | Sanitary Law Amendment Act | 37 & 38 Vict., c. 89 |
| 1875 | Public Health Act | 38 & 39 Vict., c. 55 |
| 1886 | Medical Act | 49 & 50 Vict., c. 48 |
| 1886 | Contagious Diseases (Animals) Act | 49 & 50 Vict., c. 32 |
| 1889 | Infectious Disease (Notification) Act | 52 & 53 Vict., c. 72 |
| 1890 | Public Health Acts | 53 & 54 Vict., c. 59 |
| 1890 | Infectious Disease (Prevention) Act | 53 & 54 Vict., c. 34 |
| 1891 | Public Health (London) Act | 54 & 55 Vict., c. 76 |
| 1893 | Isolation Hospitals Act | 56 & 57 Vict., c. 68 |
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