1. Dr. John Snow and the Cholera Outbreak of 1854 in Soho, London
By: Cadet Martin and Cadet Rogers

2. John Snow’s Life Born March 15, 1813
Grew up in York England, son of a coal yard worker
Apprenticed at age 14 to William Hardcastle, a surgeon in Newcastle
First experience with Cholera came in 1831
Studied medicine at the Hunterian school of medicine in London
In 1837 he began working at Westminster Hospital
Graduated University of London in 1844
Admitted to Royal College of Physicians in 1850
Suffered a stroke on June 10, 1858
Died on June 16, 1858 age 45

3. Urban Life in the 1850’s Inner city was crowded No real sewage systems
Public water was polluted
Sanitation was almost non-existent
People dumped waste in the streets and in the rivers
Little to no regulation of factory waste or pollutants
Large urban population led to rampant disease, pestilence, and ill health

4. Medicine in the 1800’s
Illness was thought to be caused by bad food, foul air, or bad blood from parents
Remedies included herbal treatments, baths, bleeding and leeching
Famous illnesses such as cholera were thought to be borne from Miasma (foul air)
Prayer was thought to help cure the sick and reinstate lost abilities (sight, movement etc.)
Many sick visited the coasts or the country because they believed the cleaner air would drive away sickness
Anesthesia increased the range of surgeries beyond amputations available
Stethoscopes, microscopes and other medical devices slowly led to a more modern perspective of medicine

5. Cholera Outbreak of 1854 Began August 31, 1854
Within 3 days 127 people died
Within 10 Days ¾ of residents evacuated
By September 10, 500 dead
Mortality rate was 12.8%, by the end some 616 people died
Worst outbreak of Cholera to strike the UK to date

6. Cholera: The Breakdown
Bacterial Infection of the small intestine
Causes fever, diarrhea, dehydration
Product of poorly sanitized water polluted with fecal matter
Kills 100, ,000 people annually and affects 3,000,000-5,000,000 individuals

7. John Snows Contribution to the Outbreak
Snow did not believe in the Miasma theory of the time
Although he did not know about germs, bacteria or other microbes, he determined something else was to blame
He created a dot map that portrayed where each case of Cholera occurred
The Broad Street Pump was a common factor and Snow determined the water was making people sick
He removed the handle and the outbreak ceased to spread
Due to lack of scientific theory, the government refused to believe that the water made people sick so they put the handle back on the pump
The outbreak had ended so the pump did not infect any more people once operational

8. Other Contributions
Snow was one of the first to determine dosages for ether and chloroform as anesthetics
Utilized chloroform on Queen Victoria during the birth of her last two sons

9. Help Received http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GIS_and_public_health