Product Description

In 1831, an unknown, horrifying and deadly disease from Asia swept across Continental Europe, killing millions in its path, and throwing the medical profession into confusion. Cholera is a killer with little respect for class or wealth, and when it arrived in Britain, its repercussions rocked Victorian England, from the filthy lanes of the Sunderland quayside and the squalid streets of Soho to the great centres of power: the Privy Council, Whitehall and the Royal Medical Colleges. One man - alone and unrecognised - uncovered the truth behind the pandemic, and laid the foundations for the modern, scientific investigation of today's fatal plagues. John Snow was a reclusive doctor, without money or social position, who had the genius to look beyond the conventional wisdom of his day, and work out that cholera was spread through drinking water. The book draws extensively on 19th century medical, political and personal records in order to describe what is both an important breakthrough for medical science, and also a dramatic story with a cast of colourful characters, from the heroic to the frighteningly incompetent. The book is also full of fascinating diversions into aspects of medical and social history - from Snow's tending of Queen Victoria in childbirth, to the Dutch microbiologist Leeuwenhoek's deliberately breeding of lice in his socks; from Dickensian children's farms to riotous 19th century anaesthesia parties.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #462076 in Books
• Published on: 2006-04-03
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 304 pages

Good Book Guide
‘Required reading for a society increasingly under threat of another pandemic’

Daily Telegraph
"Riveting history"

GP Magazine
"Sandra Hempel has successfully combined historical facts with
scientific detail. It reads as the absorbing narrative of an unfolding
drama"

Customer Reviews

A sorry tale of the establishment ignoring the truth
An engrossing story of the missed opportunities by the medical and political establishment to see the truth about how cholera is spread. To modern eyes the evidence carefully collected by John Snow seems obvious and the delays in implementing the precautions to stop the spread criminal. The book is not just a highly readable 'detective' story of how the truth emerged, but also a salutory reminder of how entenched views of any kind of establishment are very difficult to shift, particularly by someone who is not one of their own; and how the needs of commerce, in this case water companies, can override the protection of the public's health.
This book can be enjoyed by anyone interested how scientific/medical advances are made and how often it's a slow business with more than one person contributing to the final truth. It can also be enjoyed by those of us employed in trying to find these truths and remind us to be open-minded about things that don't fit our preconceived beliefs.

A Fantastic Read
This is a fantastic tale of Victorian London, which though at heart is a medical tale, it's ultimately detective work that triumphs over the medical establishment. In the mid-1800s as cholera began to sweep Europe the medical establishment were at a loss, this was before the germ theory of disease and most medical treatment tended still to do more harm. Cholera whilst reasonably lethal to humans can be easily avoided as long as one avoids drinking from a contaminated water supply. Perhaps and observation for us to make today, but in a world before microbes this was still a large leap to make. Hempel skilfully weaves her tale of 19th century London telling us how Jon Snow through is grand experiment managed to unravel the mystery of cholera, along the way were introduced to a whole host of other characters from Florence Nightingale to Queen Victoria and well as presented with many fascinating facts and historical anecdotes. The prose is highly readable having an almost novel like quality to it, the story fascinating and more importantly we witness the legacy that the great cholera outbreaks still have on our society today.

History with current relevance
Excellent history of the discovery of how a killer disease was transmitted; informative and readable. The dramatic account of the authorities in Whitehall watching the approach of cholera across Europe and having no real idea of how to deal with it has parallels with the current dread of bird flu. The medical and social background to the story in Victorian England are vividly presented.