It is well known by now that swimming in the Thames during the mid eighteenth century was a delusional and suicidal idea. Why? Because of the pollution, During this time their was a massive increase of people wishing to live and work in the city. With increased residency in the cities, came an increase in waste, this turned out to be a pitfall for everybody living in or near the city. “The Thames [was] hit daily by 260 tons of raw sewage” (E-H resources), and as you can imagine it created a problem that needed to be fixed. George Frederick Watts conveyed his disappointment in this aspect of city living in his painting “Found Drowned”. The dark and dirty background of London, and what clearly is the Waterloo bridge show that Watts had contempt for the newly rising industrial revolution.
While the London was witnessing an industrial revolution, this pollution of the Thames is an example of the need for science and technology to evolve as well. Without science and technology, the germs would have overcome the city. The need for medications, healthcare systems, etc. was continuing to grow at a much faster pace. Not only that, but machines in the factories couldn’t have ever been born, etc. For a city or time period to grow, it needs science to evolve. Science and technology has been very important throughout the history of the world, and continues to be as the world evolves.
In fact the pollution presented such a problem that The London Board of Health had to step in. From 1840 to 1874 London built the first sewer system in the world, and had successfully cleaned the river Thames and other rivers across London. The Project took 16 years to complete and cost the city a load of money, but it was well worth it. Taking the sheer amount of disease, sickness, and death into account, the amount of money poured into the river Thames was little compared to the sewage that was poured previously in it’s stead. 
Works Cited: . “The Industrial Age.” EH Resources. Creative Commons, n.d. Web. 19 Sep 2012. <http://www.eh-resources.org/timeline/timeline_industrial.html>.
