Baldness and bad temper...Britain’s Health Fears in 1911
The health anxieties of our Edwardian ancestors have been revealed, showing concerns ranging from baldness to bad temper and not having the vote.
Data protection regulations have meant a column in the 1911 census describing people’s ailments has been kept secret until now.
But at last we can see how they viewed their health then, as perceived by the head of the household on the day they were questioned – April 2, 1911.
The language used predates modern sensitivities.
“Lunatic” and “imbecile” both occur in the top five most common infirmities, along with “feeble-minded”.
Four women living in the same household recorded themselves as “voteless, therefore classed with idiots and children”.
One record, written by John Underwood from Hastings, in East Sussex, describes his children as “quarrelsome”, “stubborn”, “greedy”, “vain” and “noisy” while he records himself as “bad-tempered” and his wife as suffering from a “long tongue”.
Another unusual entry is from Thomas Wallace Young, described as “bald and toothless”.
Evelyn Barker and her family from Leeds were recorded in the census by their father, Addiman Parkin Barker, as simply being “alive” and 72 entries said of illnesses: “None, thank God.”
Others chose to make a note of their good health instead of the health problems the form asked about, giving answers such as “well”, “healthy”, “sane”, “all right” and even “perfect”.
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