The Ghost Map by Steven Johnson, a nauseating account of Victorian London in the mid
1800’s, tells an appalling story of disease, devastation, and death. This was a crisis that had puzzled some of the brightest minds of the time. With overwhelming amounts of human waste collecting, and a growing stench in London it was no surprise people were dying. It must have been the smell of the waste spreading infectious disease in the air. While elected officials scramble to solve the problem by forcing residents to eliminate their cesspools and dump them in the community’s main source of water, little did they know that the smell in the air was the least of their concerns. In fact the solution that was given turned out to be the major contributing …show more content…
Consequently Chadwik being a miasmatists who did not heed an understanding of Snows findings Chadwik believed he recognized the dilemma and had the perfect solution. Chadwick continuing to believe that the cholera was airborne thought that getting that pollution out of the air would be crucial to the extinction of cholera. These ideas lead to the concept of dumping all the waste into the Thames river in hopes that the stench in the air would decrease and there would be less casualties.
Although Chadwik had good intentions as well as a good idea, being ignorant of the fact that
Snow was correct about the contamination of the water his decision formulated a thirst quencher into a silent killer. While Chadwiks ideal seemed logical for airborne pathogens, it would turn out to have the absolute opposite effect than what he predicted. Chadwik himself poisoned the people of London while trying to save their lives.
Chadwik and Snow both made massive contributions to humanity both in the methods and techniques we use in our current age. However I feel as if Chadwig has had more of
1800’s, tells an appalling story of disease, devastation, and death. This was a crisis that had puzzled some of the brightest minds of the time. With overwhelming amounts of human waste collecting, and a growing stench in London it was no surprise people were dying. It must have been the smell of the waste spreading infectious disease in the air. While elected officials scramble to solve the problem by forcing residents to eliminate their cesspools and dump them in the community’s main source of water, little did they know that the smell in the air was the least of their concerns. In fact the solution that was given turned out to be the major contributing …show more content…
Consequently Chadwik being a miasmatists who did not heed an understanding of Snows findings Chadwik believed he recognized the dilemma and had the perfect solution. Chadwick continuing to believe that the cholera was airborne thought that getting that pollution out of the air would be crucial to the extinction of cholera. These ideas lead to the concept of dumping all the waste into the Thames river in hopes that the stench in the air would decrease and there would be less casualties.
Although Chadwik had good intentions as well as a good idea, being ignorant of the fact that
Snow was correct about the contamination of the water his decision formulated a thirst quencher into a silent killer. While Chadwiks ideal seemed logical for airborne pathogens, it would turn out to have the absolute opposite effect than what he predicted. Chadwik himself poisoned the people of London while trying to save their lives.
Chadwik and Snow both made massive contributions to humanity both in the methods and techniques we use in our current age. However I feel as if Chadwig has had more of