London's Cholera Epidemic Analysis

London’s cholera epidemic had several key players that contributed to the overall state of the epidemic. Arguably the most influential of these players is John Snow. Firstly, Snow was one of the few people at the time who did not believe that miasma was responsible for the spread of cholera. He would be paramount in the eventual downfall of miasma as a theory. More directly, Snow went to a meeting of the governors of St James Parish, “insisting that the community needed to remove the pump as soon as possible.” (Johnson, 2006) The pump here is referring to the Broad Street water pump, a prominent source of the cholera infected water. Even with their skepticism towards the waterborne theory, the board of governors agreed to remove the handle from the water pump so the community could no longer use it. This was a pivotal decision, not only because it was directly responsible for the end of the area’s cholera outbreak,

He was a prominent miasmist; however, after collaborating with John Snow he became more open to the idea of contagion and eventually strongly advocated the contagion theory. He even at one point “commissioned notices that all Londoners should boil their water before drinking it.” (Johnson, 2006) This is an early example of public health intervention. Additionally, it was Farr’s data that was instrumental to Snow’s research and allowed him to make the conclusions that he did. Another pubic figure of the London outbreak was Edwin Chadwick. Chadwick’s firm belief in miasma contributed to the cholera epidemic in a significant way. Although his mind was in the right place, his Public Health Act of 1848 which established the General Board of Health directly worsened the issue. The sewers in London were dangerously clogged, but by unclogging them, “more sewage flowed into the Thames… now a great cesspool.”, further contaminating the drinking water supply of London. (Johnson,