Case Study: Cholera in London

Question 1

How did the industrial revolution exacerbate the spread of disease?

Answer 1

Lots of people moved into cities like London to work in factories; The places they lived in were cramped and dirty,

For the first time, more people lived in British cities than the countryside

Question 2

When was the industrial revolution?

Answer 2

In the 18th century

Question 3

Describe how the mechanism that was used for outside toilets before the germ theory led to contaminated water

Answer 3

Many houses shared an outside toilet called a privy, which was built above a cesspit. Cesspit and household waste was collected by nightmen who threw the waste into rivers or piled it up for the rain to wash away. Water came from local rivers, which waste/sewage often ran off into. Water pumps were shared between many houses, and the water supply often became contaminated by waste from cesspits or rivers

Question 4

What was a privy?

Answer 4

An outdoors toilet

Question 5

What year did cholera reach Britain?

Answer 5

1831

Question 6

In what year was there a cholera epidemic in Britain?

Answer 6

1832

Question 7

What years did the cholera epidemic recur after 1832?

Answer 7

1848, 1853-54 then 1865-66

Question 8

What were the symptoms of cholera?

Answer 8

Diarrhoea, mineral loss and water loss

Question 9

How did cholera spread?

Answer 9

By infected sewage getting into drinking water

Question 10

What was the initial theory behind the cause of cholera?

Answer 10

miasma

Question 11

How many British people had died from cholera between 1831 and 1832?

Answer 11

32,000

Question 12

Which London doctor showed the connection between contaminated water and cholera?

Answer 12

John Snow

Question 13

How did John Snow prove that cholera was caused by contaminated water?

Answer 13

When cholera broke out in the Broad Street area in London (1854), Snow interviewed people and made a map of the area showing where cases of the disease had been, this information was published in his 1855 report “On the Mode of Communication of Cholera”. Snow’s investigations showed that all victims used the same water pump on Broad Street, and convinced the local council to remove the handle from the pump, bringing the outbreak to an end. It was later discovered that a nearby cesspit had a split lining and had leaked into the pump’s water supply

Question 14

What area did John Snow test his theory on and when?

Answer 14

Broad Street in London (1854)

Question 15

What report did John Snow write containing his information on the Cholera outbreak in Broad Street, and when was it written?

Answer 15

The report “On the Mode of Communication of Cholera” in 1855

Question 16

What ended up being the cause of the cholera outbreak in Broad Street?

Answer 16

A nearby cesspit had a split lining, and its waste had leaked into the Broad Street pump’s water supply

Question 17

How were medical statistics used to validate Snow’s theory?

Answer 17

Dr William Farr collected medical statistics that recorded how people died, and Snow used these records to determine the link between contaminated water and cholera deaths

Question 18

how did the industrial revolution affect disease in Britain

Answer 18

By 1900, London had a population of 4.5 million. Other cities also grew much larger across Britain, including Birmingham and Manchester. These cities could become overcrowded, and often the growing workforce was accommodated in poor-quality housing. The streets became filled with waste. Without fresh water and a sewerage system, disease spread easily.

Question 19

how did the loss of control from the church impact medicine in the 18th century

Answer 19

By 1750, the Church and classical ideas had lost their dominant influence and scientific ideas were much more accepted. With the growth of new technology, scientists continued to experiment and challenge old ideas. The use of new instruments (such as microscopes), chemicals and scientific equipment proved many new theories. Further improvements in travel - such as the development of the railways - then enabled these ideas to spread quickly throughout Britain.

Question 20

how did the role of the government impact medicine in th 18th - 19th century

Answer 20

Throughout most of the 18th and 19th centuries, the government adopted a laissez-faire approach to medicine. This means people thought it was not the government’s role to interfere in everyday life.

However, by the late 19th century this began to change. People began to accept that it was part of the government’s role to look after the health of its people. From this point on, the national government began to pass legislation to force local authorities to improve living conditions and prevent the spread of disease and illnes

Question 21

when was the first time cholera appeared in Britain

Answer 21

1831

Question 22

what were some methods to attempt to prevent cholera

Answer 22

• burning barrels of tar to remove the bad air
• praying
• taking medicines that promised protection
• burning the clothes and bedding of victims

Question 23

why werent John Snows discoveries widely accepted until 30 years later

Answer 23

• because the belief of miasma was still widely accepted
• Robert Koch found the bacteria which caused Cholera