This is part two in a three-part series. Read part one.
Malta in the 19th century was a vastly different place compared to today. Housing was extremely basic and sanitary conditions appalling. In 1839, most of the population slept on straw and covered themselves with rags and sacks. There were no sewers or mains water supply. Most houses had no bathroom, no ventilation and few windows.
By 1851, personal hygiene standards were still incredibly low with most people continuing to be highly reluctant to wash. Such conditions inevitably facilitated the spread of diseases, some deadly, claiming the lives of almost half of the infants born every year.