Locational Knowledge

Research and analyse the impact of water born disease.

1. Dr John Snow (1813-1858) was one of first physicians who understood epidemiology (rapid spread of disease). He was interested in trying to solve the cause of an outbreak of Cholera in Soho in central London in 1854. Over 600 people died. This was the time of the “Great Stink” when the Thames was very smelly, mainly due to the raw sewage in the Thames, 95% of London’s drinking water came from the Thames. It was thought by many scientist and Doctors that Cholera was air born. Below is the advice given to people in 1832 in how to treat Cholera. Looking back now why was this advice so wrong?
   
   
   Cholera Notice -1832 (British Library)
   
   
   Map Soho (1854)
   
   
   Water pump in Broad Street
   
   
2. Print out the map of Soho (1854) and the photo of the pump in Broad Street. Each black square represents the homes or businesses where at least one person died. Draw a circle around these locations. Dr Snow did this to work out the central cause of the outbreak, can you identify the centre of the outbreak? He was the first person to realise that Cholera was not spread by air. How does the map prove this? What was his hypothesis and what did he do about it? Find Soho on an online map (or use the Soho-2015 image) and try to match this up with the 1854 map using Oxford Circus, Piccadilly Circus and Tottenham Court Road Underground Stations. Broad Street is now called Broadwick Street and is at right angles to the more famous Carnaby Street.
   
   
   The John Snow pub in Broadwick Street has a blue plaque on the wall to record his achievement in ending the Cholera outbreak.
   
   
   Online map Soho (2015)

Download Resources

1. geography5.pdf