Public Health was another social reform amongst many, when the time of laissez faire had come to an end. However in terms of health it was pioneering, in social reform it was not. The changes that it applied did reach a lot of people; by the end of 1853 the Board had implemented the Public Health Act in 182 places, affecting 2 million people. When the act came up for renewal as this happened every five years, opposition was strong though as it was seen as a failure, it never achieved what it set out to do and that was bring epidemics like cholera to an end. Chadwick was given early retirement and new amendments were added for the new 1854 act. It had been realised by catching an epidemic early, this would lessen the impact, yet previously unions had been slow to react or had done nothing at all. The new Board led by Sir Benjamin Hall used better application when the third cholera epidemic swept the country, local authorities started doing what the Public Health Board told them to, and Poor Law Commissioners made more resources available. The results were better as with 43,737 possible symptoms of cholera were detected in London, these people were treated and only 52 developed the decease . The new act was comprehensively built on the old one, the fact it was so successful showed the failings of its predecessor.
