The Ghost Map
Author | Steven Berlin Johnson |
---|---|
Language | English |
Publisher | Riverhead |
Publication date | October 19, 2006 |
ISBN | 1594489254 |
The Ghost Map: The Story of London's Most Terrifying Epidemic – and How it Changed Science, Cities and the Modern World is a book by Steven Berlin Johnson in which he describes the most intense outbreak of cholera in Victorian London and centers on John Snow and Henry Whitehead.[1]
It was released on 19 October 2006 through Riverhead.
Synopsis[]
The work covers the 1854 Broad Street cholera outbreak. The two central figures are physician John Snow, who created a map of the cholera cases, and the Reverend Henry Whitehead, whose extensive knowledge of the local community helped determine the initial cause of the outbreak. Dr. John Snow was a revered anesthetist who carried out epidemiological work in Soho, London. Around the mid-1850s Snow figured out the source of cholera contamination to be the drinking water from the Broad Street pump.
Reception[]
The New York Times reviewed The Ghost Map, stating that there was "a great story here".[2] A review posted in the International Journal of Epidemiology was largely favorable, stating that "the single weakness of this book is a bewildering final section which attempts to apply John Snow's work to a long list of contemporary problems. But for the reader prepared to put the book down at page 217, Steven Johnson has written a comprehensive, diversely sourced and insightful blockbuster account of a cholera outbreak in Victorian London."[3]
- Reviews
- Quammen, David (2006-11-12). "The Ghost Map By Steven Johnson - Books - Review". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-07-08.
- Prusak, Larry (2007-03-22). "The Ghost Map by Steven Johnson". Harvard Business Review. ISSN 0017-8012. Retrieved 2019-07-08.
- Epstein, Helen (June 28, 2007). "Death by the numbers". The New York Review of Books. 54 (11): 41–44.
- Metcalfe, Chris (2007-08-01). "The Ghost Map. Steven Johnson". International Journal of Epidemiology. 36 (4): 935–936. doi:10.1093/ije/dym111. ISSN 0300-5771.
See also[]
- Epidemiology
- Germ theory
- Miasma theory
References[]
- ^ Prusak, Larry (2007-03-22). "The Ghost Map by Steven Johnson". Harvard Business Review. ISSN 0017-8012. Retrieved 2019-07-08.
- ^ Quammen, David (2006-11-12). "The Ghost Map By Steven Johnson - Books - Review". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-07-08.
- ^ Metcalfe, Chris (2007-08-01). "The Ghost Map. Steven Johnson". International Journal of Epidemiology. 36 (4): 935–936. doi:10.1093/ije/dym111. ISSN 0300-5771.
- 2006 non-fiction books
- 2006 in the environment
- History books about London
- History books about medicine
- Cholera
- Spatial epidemiology
- Riverhead Books books