A Map Stops Cholera


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The Mysterious Disease



In the 19th century, there were no cars or telephones and so getting quick treatment was often difficult. What London needed was someone to figure out how this deadly disease spread.

The 1849 London Outbreak

While Cholera has existed in Northern India for centuries (and it is from this region that regular outbreaks are spread) it was the London outbreaks that brought cholera to the attention of British physician Dr. John Snow.

In an 1849 cholera outbreak in London, a large proportion of the victims received their water from two water companies. Both of these water companies had the source of their water on the Thames River, just downstream from a sewer outlet.

Despite this coincidence, the prevailing belief of the time was that it was "bad air" that was causing the deaths. Dr. Snow felt differently, believing that the disease was caused by something ingested. He wrote down his theory in the essay, "On the Mode of Communication of Cholera," but neither the public nor his peers were convinced.

The 1854 London Outbreak




Cholera Is Still Deadly

Although we now know how cholera is spread and have found a way to treat patients who have it, cholera is still a very deadly disease. Striking quickly, many people with cholera don't realize how serious their situation is until it is too late.



Medical Geography

The work of Dr. Snow stands out as one of the most famous and earliest cases of medical geography, where geography and maps are utilized to understand the spread of disease. Today, specially trained medical geographers and medical practitioners routinely use mapping and advanced technology to understand the diffusion and spread of diseases such as AIDS and cancer.


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Your Citation
Rosenberg, Matt. "A Map Stops Cholera." ThoughtCo, Aug. 27, 2020, thoughtco.com/map-stops-cholera-1433538. Rosenberg, Matt. (2020, August 27). A Map Stops Cholera. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/map-stops-cholera-1433538 Rosenberg, Matt. "A Map Stops Cholera." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/map-stops-cholera-1433538 (accessed October 27, 2021).