Towards hygienic industrial environments with saunas, spittoons, and clean air

Abstract

SUMMARY Diseases, such as tuberculosis and Spanish flu, spread in industrial environments in the early decades of the 20th century, but increased knowledge of various pathogens, in particular the bacteriological breakthrough made in the late 19th century, helped in the fight against the infectious diseases. This paper examines the attempts made to establish more hygienic industrial environments in Northern Finland in the beginning of the 20th century. There were, for example, efforts made by employers to stop the workforce from spitting on floors and to improve their personal hygiene. These goals were also reflected in material culture as people became acclimatised to soaps and spittoons, for example. Eliminating pathogens from daily life was seen as the responsibility of all. Bringing together archaeological and archival data, this paper scrutinises the interplay between demands of companies and authorities and the habits of workers in achieving more hygienic industrial environments.