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 disease is not communicated by the air, but by the water, or by the food contaminated with the morbid matter.
The cases of cholera were concentrated in the area supplied by the Broad Street pump, and were rare elsewhere.
The disease is not communicated by general atmospheric miasma, but by specific contamination of the water supply.
The poison of cholera is a specific agent, which acts on the alimentary canal, and is communicated by the excretions of the sick.
The evidence is overwhelming that the Broad Street pump was the source of the cholera outbreak.
The disease is not communicated by the air, but by the water we drink, or by food contaminated with the morbid matter from the sick.
The cases of cholera were almost entirely confined to those who drank the water from the Broad Street pump, or used it for domestic purposes.
The disease is not communicated by general atmospheric causes, but by local contamination of the water supply.
The poison of cholera is a living organism, which multiplies in the intestines, and is then discharged with the evacuations.
The evidence is so strong as to leave no doubt that the Broad Street pump was the cause of the cholera epidemic.
The disease is not communicated by the air, but by the water, or by food that has been contaminated by the morbid matter from the sick.
The cases of cholera were almost exclusively among those who had drunk the water from the Broad Street pump, or had used it for washing.
The disease is not communicated by general atmospheric influences, but by specific local contamination of the water.
The poison of cholera is a specific entity, which reproduces itself in the human body, and is then discharged in the evacuations.
The evidence is conclusive that the Broad Street pump was the source of the cholera outbreak, and that its removal stopped the epidemic.
The disease is not communicated by the air, but by the water we drink, or by food contaminated with the morbid matter from the sick, or by direct contact with the evacuations.
The cases of cholera were almost entirely confined to those who had drunk the water from the Broad Street pump, or had used it for cooking.
The water of the Broad Street pump is as innocent as a newborn babe, until it meets the bowels of London.
They say cleanliness is next to godliness. In London, it seems godliness is next to a cesspool.
To understand disease, one must first understand the drains.
Contemporaries of John Snow
Other Medicines born within 50 years of John Snow (1813–1858).