John Snow Faulty Theory

If it weren’t for John Snow, Henry Whitehead, William Farr, and Edwin Chadwick, it is very likely cholera would not have ended when it did, and other public health issues would have taken even longer to be addressed. Even though they did not all work directly, their work benefited one another and led to the end of the cholera epidemic of 1854. John Snow had an enormous contribution to the end of this cholera epidemic. John Snow was a doctor, anesthesiologist, author, and a detective, just to name a few of his talents. John Snow’s experience with anesthetics helped him understand why miasma was a faulty theory, as he learned through his practice that these anesthetics did not care about the morals of a person, the correct dosage would put anyone …show more content…
72). John Snow studied the deaths in the Soho area using William Farr’s Weekly Returns of Births and Deaths and persisted in his studying and theorizing to convince people the air was not at fault (Johnson, 2006). John Snow contributed the brains and medical knowledge that were necessary in ending this cholera outbreak. John Snow was certainly at odds with Edwin Chadwick, as he was a firm miasmatist. If Edwin Chadwick would have believed earlier in the waterborne theory, measures could have been taken earlier to save the lives of the Soho citizens, as well as implementing appropriate sanitary rules and regulations sooner. While Edwin Chadwick was a miasmatist, he still played a crucial role in ending the cholera epidemic. Edwin Chadwick helped create many of the sanitation …show more content…
William Farr released Weekly Returns, which included a list of deaths in the Soho area for that week (Johnson, 2006). John Snow used this information to study and track the cholera outbreak. William Farr and John Snow were at odds with one another, while at the same time being on the same team. Farr believed slightly in John Snow’s theory, that the water may have been contaminated in a way. However, Farr was a miasmatist and believed the water was then infecting the air. I believe if Farr had fully believed in the waterborne theory, he could have helped John Snow in the study, as well as helped convince others to see why the waterborne theory was correct. Finally, and arguably the biggest contributor, is Henry Whitehead. Henry Whitehead was a reverend who would visit the sick and dying in his community during the cholera outbreak (Johnson, 2006). Henry didn’t entirely believe the miasma theory nor the waterborne theory. Henry Whitehead thought John Snow’s theory was nonsense, as he had witnessed people drink excessive amounts of water and become healthy again (Johnson, 2006). Henry Whitehead initially wanted to prove John Snow wrong, but instead they became the perfect duo. Henry Whitehead had the street knowledge that John Snow lacked, and together they were able to solidify the evidence for the waterborne theory. If it weren’t for their partnership, the