John Snow Flashcards
What did John do in 1848-49
Observed that the cholera epidemic of 1848-49 and began to work on his theory that cholera spread through contaminated drinking water, not by miasma - significant - change in ideas of causes of illness
What happened in 1854
when cholera broke out in 1854, where Snow lived, he mapped all the deaths and found a strong link to one water pump on Broad Street
Removed the handle from the pump so people couldn’t collect water from it and number of deaths dramatically
What was discovered later in 1854
That a cesspit close by was leaking waste into the well
What happened after Snow’s findings
General Board of Health acted on Snow’s information about the polluted water supply but they refused to accept Snow’s claim that cholera was spread through water.
Significance of Snow
Longer term, Snow’s work combined with other evidence (Great Stink) resulted in a new London sewer system being completed in 1878
snow’s work helped make the link between dirty water and disease, leading to the Public Health Act in 1875 when authorities finally forced to provide clean water
