On tap : a history of drinking water. Pt 2, The great stink.

Dr Mark Jenner looks at important reforms made in the 19th century to improve the condition of the river Thames and sanitation. In 1858, the stench from the river obliged London's Parliament to suspend sitting, and the surge in population from 1 million in 1800 to 7 million by the end of the century increased the volume of waste empied into the Thames.