The life expectancy of British workers rose dramatically during the 19th century. Instead of dying at relatively young ages, workingmen survived longer and experienced more sickness. This work traces these developments and examines the arrangements made for providing medical care to workers.

Using the claims records of the societies, the author also explores the regional patterns of sickness in Britain from 1870 to 1910 and addresses the question of how policies that promoted lower mortality affected rates and duration of sickness.