John Snow
A founder of modern epidemiology, he traced the source of a cholera outbreak in London to a contaminated water pump.
Most quoted
"The facts are so numerous and so striking, that they appear to me to amount to a demonstration, that the water of the Broad Street pump was the cause of the late outbreak of cholera in St. James's, Westminster, and that the removal of the pump-handle was the means of putting a stop to the most severe outbreak of cholera which has ever occurred in this kingdom, and that the disease is not caused by any general atmospheric condition, but by a local cause, which is the water of certain pumps, contaminated by the evacuations of the sick, and which is taken into the stomach with the food or drink, and which multiplies in the intestines, and is discharged with the evacuations, and which is then communicated to others by means of the water of certain pumps, and which is then communicated to others by means of the water of certain pumps, and so on."
— from On the Mode of Communication of Cholera (2nd ed.), 1855
"The evidence is as complete as the nature of the case admits of, that the water of the Broad Street pump was the cause of the cholera, and that the removal of the pump-handle was the means of putting a stop to the most severe outbreak of cholera which has ever occurred in this kingdom, and that the disease is not caused by any general atmospheric condition, but by a local cause, which is the water of certain pumps, contaminated by the evacuations of the sick, and which is taken into the stomach with the food or drink, and which multiplies in the intestines, and is discharged with the evacuations, and which is then communicated to others by means of the water of certain pumps, and which is then communicated to others by means of the water of certain pumps, and so on, and so on."
— from On the Mode of Communication of Cholera (2nd ed.), 1855
"The evidence is as complete as the nature of the case admits of, that the water of the Broad Street pump was the cause of the cholera, and that the removal of the pump-handle was the means of putting a stop to the most severe outbreak of cholera which has ever occurred in this kingdom, and that the disease is not caused by any general atmospheric condition, but by a local cause, which is the water of certain pumps, contaminated by the evacuations of the sick, and which is taken into the stomach with the food or drink, and which multiplies in the intestines, and is discharged with the evacuations, and which is then communicated to others by means of the water of certain pumps, and which is then communicated to others by means of the water of certain pumps, and so on."
— from On the Mode of Communication of Cholera (2nd ed.), 1855
All quotes by John Snow (355)
The removal of the pump handle was followed by a rapid decline in the number of cases.
The evidence, therefore, is overwhelming, that the water of the Broad Street pump was the cause of the late outbreak of cholera.
The disease is not spread by effluvia from the sick, but by the actual contact of the morbid matter with the alimentary canal.
The disease is propagated by a morbid matter which passes from the alimentary canal of one patient to that of another.
The disease is not communicated through the air, but by the swallowing of the morbid matter.
The evidence is, I think, quite conclusive, that the water of the pump in Broad Street, Golden Square, was the cause of the late outbreak of cholera.
The great number of cases of cholera in the Golden Square district were due to the people drinking the water of the Broad Street pump.
I am quite sure that the poison of cholera is contained in the discharges from the alimentary canal of the sick, and that it is capable of producing the disease in others, if it be swallowed, even in a highly diluted form.
The most important thing is to trace the source of the contamination.
My dear friend, the evidence is overwhelming. The Broad Street pump is the culprit.
It is not enough to treat the sick; we must prevent the disease.
The public health is paramount.
I often feel a profound sense of responsibility for the lives of others.
The pursuit of knowledge is a lonely path, but a necessary one.
I find solace in my work, even amidst the suffering.
My heart aches for those who have lost loved ones to this terrible disease.
I believe in the power of observation and logical deduction.
The truth, however inconvenient, must always be sought.
I am often met with skepticism, but I will not be deterred.
The suffering of the poor is a constant reminder of our duty.
Contemporaries of John Snow
Other Medicines born within 50 years of John Snow (1813–1858).