ABSTRACT
Inevitably in a study of the repeal campaign, little attention has been paid to the operation of the Acts themselves. This reflects the tendency amongst repealers to dismiss this sort of evidence as irrelevant to their moral attack. However, not all held this view, and during the 16-year course of the agitation their handling of the ‘hygienic’ case became sophisticated and effective. 1 But in any case, it would be careless to to take their argument at face value. Sooner or later, even the nonmedical historian must face the question – did the Acts work?
