十九世紀的英國社會面臨了貧窮和失業等問題。許多改革運動也集中於這個世紀。伴隨著社會改革運動而來的，是由官方或是由民間所主持的社會調查。社會調查對於當時英國社會的主要貢獻有以下兩點。一是反映現實狀況，提高改革運動的效率。另一方面則是讓時人瞭解當時工人階級的生活狀況。本文所要討論的人物亨利．梅修（Henry Mayhew，1812－1887）希望找出造成工人生活貧困的關鍵，透過實地考察的方式，完成了《倫敦的勞工與貧民》一書。以有別於官方社會調查的方式，來看待當時英國社會所發生的問題。

Nineteenth-century English society faced the problem of poverty and employment. Many reforms and social investigations made by governments or non-governmental organizations thus followed in this era. These social investigations made two major contributions: First is to reflect real social condition and to promote the efficiency of reform. Second is to let people realize the living condition of the working class. This article will examine the life and works of Henry Mayhew (1812-1887). Different from most social investigations of his time, Mayhew used on-the-spot investigation to point out the reason why the working class was poor in the nineteenth-century England.