London Cholera Outbreak

Angelica Torres
John Snow was born on March 15, 1813 in Yorkshire, England. John Snow was the eldest son of a farmer and had five brothers and three sisters born exactly every two years. Attending a private school all of his life, it is unknown how John Snow's father afforded for his son to attend such a school, however due to his education it is know that he is one of the most educated men to this day and titled "The Father of Modern Epidemiology". In reference to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, cholera is defined as "An acute diarrheal illness caused by infection of the stomach and intestine with the bacterium Vibrio Cholera". Cholera can be characterized as a flu however such symptoms include diarrhea, vomiting, leg cramps, dehydration and shock. Why is the Cholera disease dangerous? Cholera is considered dangerous due to the fact that an individual can become severely dehydrated and the rapid loss of fluid that can occur over a short period of time. How does an individual get cholera? "A person can get cholera by drinking water or eating food contaminated with the cholera bacterium". With further research into the mapping of the 1854 London Cholera Outbreak,
John Snow mapped thirteen public wells in the Soho district and a specific water pump located on the corner of Broad Street and Cambridge Street. What did John Snow do exactly? John Snow examined various water samples from the various public wells. In addition after further examination under a microscope he found the cholera bacterium in the Broad Street samples and once evidence was proven , authorities removed the pump and quickly seen that the disease was decreasing among individuals. According to Ucla, "What Snow contributed was, perhaps the idea of districts based on a calculation of proximity. His contemporaries suggest other solutions to defining the diseases outbreaks boundaries, based primarily on density of occurrence. These included manually drawing boundary lines around the affected area and a circle that would compass the majority off deaths". This by far is a great tactic John Snow decided to use emphasizing on the process of elimination. With such great tactics, why did doctors dispute John Snow's beliefs about cholera? Doctors who previously worked on the Cholera epidemic believed that the disease was airborne, whereas John Snow decided to work on the testing of contaminated water. In fact, "British doctor John Snow couldn't convince other doctors and scientists that cholera, was spread when people drank contaminated water until a mother washed her baby’s diaper in a town well in 1854". This effected approximately six hundred people who died and proved Dr.Snow's theory.
How did John Snow narrow his research to the "broad street" pump as the source of contamination? And what specifically was determined to be the cause of the cholera outbreak. John Snow decided to focus primarily on the Broad Street pump due to the very first cholera death of an infant who lived significantly close to that particular pump. The cause of the cholera outbreak was found to be the Vibrio Cholera bacteria, which is found in saltwater or blackish water. Furthermore, in 1854 many individuals were considered poor and did not have sufficient piping works. Due to this sanitation pipes or sewer was getting into the pipes individuals were using to not only bathe in but also drink. Therefore contaminating the individuals and starting an epidemic.
What are some similarities and differences a public health professional would follow during a disease outbreak in the 21st century compared to the 1854 outbreak?
Similarly, I believe doctors and investigators would attempt in mapping out the outbreak areas just as John Snow. However, public sanitation is highly talented and skilled in the 21st century so I highly doubt such epidemic would happen again. If such thing were to happen again I believe that particular region will be quick to figure out the wrong doing due to our technological advancements. Moreover, is cholera a dangerous disease today? Yes, cholera is a dangerous disease. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there is a reported one hundred thousand deaths per year due to the cholera
disease. Work Cited
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2014. Web. 28 Sept. 2016.
"Dr. John Snow's Map of the 1854 London Cholera Outbreak." Dr. John Snow's Map of the 1854 London Cholera Outbreak. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Sept. 2016.
The Map as Intent: Variations on the Theme of John Snow. Tom Koch, n.d. Web. 28 Sept. 2016.