Case study: Fighting Cholera in London in 1854

Question 1

What attempts were made to stop the spread of cholera?

Answer 1

The 1848 Public Health Act had given local areas the power to appoint a Medical Officer to improve the public’s health if they wished.

Question 2

What was the significance of John Snow and his work around the Broad Street Pump?

Answer 2

A Spot Map in 1854 linked an outbreak of Cholera in Soho, to a water pump in Broad Street.

It was important for society because it highlighted the need for efficient waste disposal.

It took the Great Stink later in the 1850s for the government to act on the findings of Snow and improve the sewage system in London.