Final answer:
Larger cities have contributed to the disease burden through high population densities enabling the spread of infectious diseases, substandard living conditions leading to disease outbreaks, and challenges like congestion and pollution exacerbating health issues.
Step-by-step explanation:
Larger cities contributed to the disease burden due to several factors associated with urbanization. High population densities in cities exacerbated the spread of infectious diseases, as elongated networks of human contact facilitated the transfer of pathogens. The contagiousness of diseases such as measles, for instance, required a large, contiguous population to maintain itself. Moreover, living conditions in urban settings often involved substandard sanitation, poor ventilation, and inadequate sewage systems, turning cities into breeding grounds for diseases like cholera, yellow fever, typhoid, and tuberculosis. These conditions contributed to higher death rates in urban areas compared to rural ones.
The immediate challenges of urban life, such as congestion, pollution, and crime, further escalated the problems. As cities grew, negative externalities such as traffic congestion, increased air and water pollution, as well as overcrowded public facilities, developed. Urban planning and public health measures became essential for managing these issues and achieving a balance between the economic advantages of cities and the negative aspects of urban living.
Over time, advances in cultural reform and public health measures in the second half of the 19th century began to address these health challenges, enabling better disease prevention and management in urban environments. However, the risk of infection through touch and proximity remained until individual and systemic health interventions were firmly established.