''The Ghost Map: The Story of London's Most Terrifying Epidemic – and How it Changed Science, Cities and the Modern World'' is a book by
Steven Berlin Johnson
Steven Berlin Johnson (born June 6, 1968) is an American popular science author and media theorist.
Education
Steven grew up in Washington, D.C., where he attended St. Albans School. He completed his undergraduate degree at Brown University ...
in which he describes the most intense outbreak of
cholera in
Victorian London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
and centers on
John Snow and
Henry Whitehead.
It was released on 19 October 2006 through Riverhead.
Synopsis
The work covers the
1854 Broad Street cholera outbreak. The two central figures are physician
John Snow, who created a map of the cholera cases, and the Reverend
Henry Whitehead, whose extensive knowledge of the local community helped determine the initial cause of the outbreak. Dr. John Snow was a revered anesthetist who carried out epidemiological work in Soho, London. Around the mid-1850s Snow figured out the source of cholera contamination to be the drinking water from the Broad Street pump.
Reception
The New York Times reviewed ''The Ghost Map'', stating that there was "a great story here". A review posted in the ''International Journal of Epidemiology'' was largely favorable, stating that "the single weakness of this book is a bewildering final section which attempts to apply John Snow's work to a long list of contemporary problems. But for the reader prepared to put the book down at page 217, Steven Johnson has written a comprehensive, diversely sourced and insightful blockbuster account of a cholera outbreak in Victorian London."
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See also
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Epidemiology
Epidemiology is the study and analysis of the distribution (who, when, and where), patterns and determinants of health and disease conditions in a defined population.
It is a cornerstone of public health, and shapes policy decisions and evide ...
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Germ theory
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Miasma theory
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ghost Map
2006 non-fiction books
2006 in the environment
History books about London
History books about medicine
Cholera
Spatial epidemiology
Riverhead Books books