Cholera in Gateshead

As the cholera outbreak occurred before the NHS existed, doctors could charge for their time and prescriptions or medicines. Some doctors genuinely tried to do a good job. Others were more dishonest and took advantage of the panic people felt about cholera and grew rich by overcharging.

This source gives us an idea of what people at the time thought about doctors. Click on the links to find out more.

As the cholera outbreak occurred before the NHS existed, cholera patients had to pay for any examinations and treatments. People were really scared and worried and were willing to pay for ‘miracle cures’ which were meant to cure them of cholera, but didn’t. This meant a lot of people started to hate the doctors who charged for their time and medicine but failed to cure people.

This source gives us an idea of what people at the time thought about doctors and cholera patients. Click on the links to find out more.