Health in England (16th–18th c.)
Document Based Question
by Sharon Cohen
(Suggested writing time: 50 minutes)
The following question is based on the documents included in this module. This question is designed to test your ability to work with and understand historical documents.
Drawing on specific examples from the sources in the module, write a well- organized essay of at least five paragraphs in which you answer the following question:
- To what extent did parents in early modern England try not to become too attached to their children, as infant and child mortality was so high?
Write an essay that:
- has a relevant, clear thesis that answers the question,
- uses at least six of the documents,
- analyzes the documents by grouping them in as many appropriate ways as possible. Does not simply summarize the documents individually, and
- takes into account both the sources of the documents and the creators' points of view.
You may refer to relevant historical information not mentioned in the documents.
Be sure to analyze point of view in at least three documents or images.
What additional sources, types of documents, or information would you need to have a more complete view of this topic?
How to Cite This Source
Lynda Payne, "Health in England (16th–18th c.)," in Children and Youth in History, Item #166, http://chnm.gmu.edu/cyh/teaching-modules/166 (accessed June 30, 2016).
- Primary Sources
- Boke of Chyldren by Thomas Phaer [Excerpt]
- "On Scarlet Fever" [Excerpt]
- Lady Mary Wortley Montagu on Small Pox in Turkey [Letter]
- Gin Lane (1751) [Engraving]
- London's Bill of Mortality (December 1664-December 1665) [Official Document]
- John Evelyn's Diary, 1658 [Literary Excerpt]
- Rubeola Vulgaris (measles) [Still Image]
- Infanticide Trial Transcript from the Old Bailey of Elizabeth Taylor of Clerkenwell, London, June 1734 [Trial Record]
- The Graham Children (1742) [Painting]
- Transplanting Teeth (c.1790) [Engraving]
- An Inquiry into the Causes and Effects of the Variolae Vaccinae [Literary Excerpt and Illustration]