Last week I was in Warsaw and ran into this statue of William Heerlein Lindley. Lindley oversaw the construction of the Warsaw Waterworks between 1881 and 1889 as the design of the bench indicates. He was also involved in the construction of many other water-supply and sewage systems all over central and eastern Europe such as in Prague, Lodz, Iasi and Baku.

William Heerlein Lindley was taught civil engineering from an early age by his dad William Lindley, one of the most famous British civil engineers. William Lindley senior had grown up in a time when public health problems considering sanitation became apparent. Cities were growing at a rapid pace due to industrialization but they lacked proper housing and there was barely any urban planning. Living conditions were terrible and in the early 19ty century life expectancy dropped in the cities. Diseases as dysentery, typhoid and cholera ran rampant and mortality rates were high. The idea that diseases were spread by dirty water and not dirty air (miasma) became accepted and governments realized something needed to be done.

In conclusion, there was a lot of civil engineering work to be done. William Lindley, together with his three sons William Heerlein, Robert and Joseph, did not shy away from this task. They were responsible for designing water and sewage systems for over 30 cities across Europe in the 19th and early 20th century. With their work the Lindley family probably saved millions of lives.

History is often about power, politics and wars, but the real heroes in my opinion are people like the Lindleys who made sure that there was clean drinking water and better public health. Luckily, I will teach about the history of public health again this year in classes 6, 7, 9 and 10. Spreading the word! 

Originally posted on Instagram on August 10, 2022