ns were held accountable for the effects of their "ignorance . . . recklessness . . . (and) bumbling" (Illich, 1976, p. 21). As an example, a physician "who operated on a slave but did not properly follow up his convalescence had to pay the price of the slave and the loss of the master's income during his protracted illness" (Illich, 1976, p. 21).
Ancient Rome, in an effort to promote public health, also enacted and enforced laws with respect to water supply, drainage, and garbage removal, all of which may be considered as environmental protection legislation designed to protect environmental health (Illich, 1976, p. 22). Thus, in ancient times also, the relationship between causes and illnesses was recognized.
The so called "Killer Fog" that struck London in the early 1950s prompted the government of the United Kingdom to take action to clean up and protect the quality of the air in southern England. That action led to further environmental clean up and protection actions designed to restore the environmental purity of the Thames and other rivers and streams throughout the United Kingdom.
The earliest environmental protection measures implemented in the United States were, in fact, public health initiatives dealing with sewage disposal. Formal legislation at the federal level dealing with environmental protection has occurred primarily since the end of the Second World War. Chicago and Cincinnati, however, had air pollution laws in effect as early as 1881, and Ohio enacted a statewide air pollution law in 1897 (Petulla, 1987, p. 49). Much later, in 1955, but still far earlier that the enactment of national air pollution in the United States, Los Angeles County implemented an air pollution emergency plan (Petulla, 1987, p. 50).
Recent Instances of Environmental Degradation That Have Served to Heighten Environmental Awareness
In more recent times, environmental awareness has tended to stem from man made disasters i...