John Snow and the Broad St. Cholera Epidemic

• What was cholera considered in the 19th century?

  A deadly disease
• Where did cholera originate?

  India
• How was cholera brought to Britain?

  By trading ships from the Empire
• What were the symptoms of cholera?

  Severe diarrhea and vomiting
• What caused dehydration in cholera victims?

  Fluid loss from diarrhea and vomiting
• How quickly could cholera kill a victim?

  In a matter of days or hours
• Which city was most affected by cholera?

  London
• What did most people believe caused cholera?

  Bad smells or miasma
• What was the actual cause of cholera?

  Sewage getting into drinking water
• How many people died from cholera in London during 1831-32?

  6,536
• What was the national death toll from cholera in 1848?

  62,000
• How many deaths were recorded in London during the 1853-54 cholera outbreak?

  Approximately 20,000
• What did Edward Chadwick describe in his 1842 report?

  The sanitary condition of the poor
• What did Chadwick believe caused disease?

  Filth and dirt
• What was Chadwick's view on government intervention?

  Government shouldn't interfere with lives
• What did Jon Snow theorize about cholera's cause?

  It was related to contaminated water
• How did Jon Snow demonstrate his theory?

  By mapping cholera deaths around a pump
• What anomaly did Jon Snow find in his research?

  A brewery had no cholera deaths
• What did Jon Snow do to stop the outbreak?

  Removed the handle from the pump
• What did Louis Pasteur's germ theory prove?

  Bacteria in water can cause disease
• What was Edwin Chadwick's profession?

  Politician
• What did Joseph Bazalgette design?

  A new sewer system for London
• What was the purpose of Bazalgette's sewers?

  To prevent the miasma and improve sanitation
• When were Bazalgette's sewers mostly completed?

  By 1865
• What was the outcome of Bazalgette's sewer system?

  It helped clean up London's water
• When was the last cholera outbreak in London declared over?

  By the end of 1866
• What were the key solutions to defeating cholera in London?

  • Dr. Jon Snow identified contaminated water as the cause.
  • Edwin Chadwick reported on poor sanitary conditions.
  • Joseph Bazalgette designed a new sewer system.
• How did public health understanding change from the 1830s to the 1860s?

  • 1830s: Belief in miasma as disease cause.
  • 1854: Jon Snow links cholera to water.
  • 1861: Pasteur publishes germ theory.
  • 1865-67: Bazalgette's sewers improve sanitation.