A 19th century hero

I love being married to a high school social studies teacher.

Have you ever heard of Dr. John Snow, the father of public health? There was a cholera outbreak in London, ca. 1850. Cholera outbreaks were common in those days because of overcrowded living conditions and poor sanitation. This is pre-Pasteur. They didn't know about microbes. They thought diseases were caused by miasmas, or poorly balanced bodily humours, or an angry God. But Dr. John Snow took it upon himself to go out into the field and do some research. He tracked down every case of cholera he could find, and figured out where the victim was when he or she first got sick. It turned out there was a huge cluster around the pump on Broad Street. Dr. Snow didn't know that cholera is caused by water-borne bacteria. But he knew there was something wrong with the water from that pump. So he immediately went to the parish council and told them to take the handle off the pump. Even though he couldn't explain why, he managed to persuade them to do it. And the epidemic ended.

Dr. Snow is considered to be the father of public health because instead of treating the victims, he looked for the source of the plague. And because he took immediate action, even though he didn't yet understand the underlying cause of the problem. Epidemiologists today still use some of his pioneering methods.

If you are interested in joining the John Snow Society (I am!) all you have to do is go to London and have a drink at the John Snow Pub, located on the site of the original Broad Street Pump.