Cholera in London's Soho - A dive into the process of solving Cholera and its spread

Jake Davis, Spring 2025

At the start of the 19th century, Cholera was on the rise in many nations across Europe. One of the most notable outbreaks was in London. By 1831, the London neighborhood of Soho was plagued by Cholera. The real problem, though, was not how deadly this disease was; it was how much medical misinformation was spread. The purpose of this research is to analyze the effect of this misinformation and why such drastic measures were necessary for John Snow to take to stop the spread of Cholera throughout Soho and greater London.
The medical elite were convinced that the outbreak of Cholera was similar to what they had studied previously on the study of airborne pathogens. The air in London during this time was heavy and polluted from the recent industrialization, creating this “miasma” that was thought to spread cholera. The belief in the miasma theory was so strong that few questioned it, even in the face of contradictory evidence. The idea that “bad air” was responsible for disease had existed for centuries and was deeply rooted in medicine and public policy. The spread of Cholera was not through the air; it was spread by the polluted water used in the city.
The Cholera outbreak in London also had significant religious and social implications. During this time, many religious leaders and communities held onto the belief that Cholera was a divine punishment for sin or moral failings. This perspective influenced how people responded to the outbreak, often turning to prayer or seeking spiritual interventions rather than practical measures like sanitation. While these religious beliefs offered comfort to some, they also hindered efforts to understand and control the disease. A well-known physician of the time, John Snow’s work, however, highlighted the importance of scientific reasoning over religious or superstitious explanations, challenging society to move beyond outdated beliefs and adopt evidence-based approaches to health.
John Snow was intrigued about what was making people so sick with Cholera, so he traced out what the victims had done before becoming infected and, ultimately, dying. This method of using data collection and mapping to find the source of an outbreak was extremely rare at the time. While investigating, he first discovered a connection to the alimentary canal. Dr. Snow’s letter to the editor of the Edinburgh Medical Journal regarding that discovery was published. In that letter, he says, “I arrived at the conclusion in the latter part of 1848 that cholera is communicated by the evacuations from the alimentary canal.”
After further investigation, John Snow realized that people who had used a particular water pump at the corner of Broad Street became infected quickly and died. These people may not have even been at the pump to drink; all sorts of people used this water for different purposes, such as bathing, cooking, and even pubs used it to mix with their alcohol. Anyone who came into contact with this water (aside from those drinking alcohol, as the alcohol killed the Cholera bacteria) became sick and died soon after they began to show symptoms. Dr. Snow also discovered that local sewage had leaked into the well that fed the pump, contaminating the water supply. John Snow picked up on this trend, quickly ran to the pump, and broke the handle off. After this bold move, the number of cases began to drop, offering compelling evidence that water, not air, was the medium through which the disease was spreading.
While the cholera epidemic was already on the decline at the time of John Snow’s discovery, his research is what ultimately led to the containment of Cholera in London. In modern day, the site where John Snow broke the handle off the pump on Broad Street is now a monument put in place by the public health community to honor his contributions to epidemiology, and it serves as a lasting reminder of the power of science and observation in the fight against misinformation and disease. The development made by John Snow was integral to humanity's understanding of epidemiology and how diseases spread. Many scholars have even referenced John Snow as the founder of modern epidemiology. His method of mapping cases, tracing the source of infection, and relying on data and observed evidence set a standard for future public health investigations. His work eventually influenced the way cities approached sewage systems, water treatment, and health policy. This discovery by John Snow led to more sanitary reforms and cleaner water sources for many in London. It also laid the foundation for future scientific advances in public health, sanitation infrastructure, and the management of infectious diseases. However, many across the world in impoverished areas still do not have access to clean water, causing this deadly disease to run rampant.

Bibliography

Davis, Jake. Photo of the Broad Street pump, 2025

Davis, Jake. Photo of the John Snow pub, 2025

Davis, Jake. Photo of the Edinburgh Medical Journal vol. 1, 2025

Science Museum Group. Caricature showing a publican's dilemma during a cholera epidemic, Europe, c. 1854

Roueche, Berton. Curiosities of Medicine, Cholera in Soho, 1963

Acknowledgments

I would like to thank the UAH Honors College for its generous funding and aid for this trip. I would also like to thank Professor Reagan Grimsley and the entire archives department for their help during this class. I also need to thank my parents and grandparents for their financial aid, which allowed me to go on this trip.