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 pursuit of truth is a lifelong journey.
I am often weary, but my purpose sustains me.
The evidence speaks for itself, if only people would listen.
My work is a testament to the power of careful observation.
I hope that future generations will build upon my findings.
The fight against cholera is a fight for humanity.
My dear, remember the importance of meticulous detail.
I am a firm believer in the power of maps to reveal patterns.
The well-being of the community is a shared responsibility.
I often feel the weight of expectation, but I strive to meet it.
The path to progress is often paved with resistance.
My greatest satisfaction comes from knowing I have helped others.
The great question of the communication of cholera is not whether it is contagious, but whether it is communicated by the excretions of the sick.
It is not by the atmosphere that cholera is propagated, but by the water we drink.
The most convincing proof of the communication of cholera by water is afforded by the cases of the Broad Street pump.
The removal of the pump handle was followed by an immediate cessation of the epidemic.
Cholera is a disease of the alimentary canal, and its symptoms are produced by a poison acting directly on the mucous membrane of the stomach and intestines.
The disease is communicated by the swallowing of the morbid matter, which is contained in the evacuations of the sick.
The evidence is, I think, quite conclusive, that the water of the Broad Street pump was the cause of the late outbreak of cholera.
The disease is not communicated by effluvia from the sick, nor by the atmosphere, but by the actual contact of the morbid matter with the alimentary canal.
Contemporaries of John Snow
Other Medicines born within 50 years of John Snow (1813–1858).