John Snow and the Broad Street Pump
Broadwick Street (once Broad Street), Soho, London, UK
What happened
A cholera outbreak began in Soho, London, on 31 August 1854. At the time many people believed bad air spread disease. The doctor John Snow marked cases on a map using the addresses of people who had fallen ill, and it led him to a water pump on Broad Street. He convinced the local authorities to remove the pump's handle so people could not use it.
Why it matters
Snow's work showed how mapping evidence can reveal where a disease comes from, and his idea that cholera spreads through water was eventually accepted.
What came next
After the Great Stink of 1858, London built a modern sewer system. London had one last cholera outbreak in 1866, in parts of east London that were not yet connected.
Did you know?
A replica of the pump stands on Broadwick Street, and a nearby pub is named for John Snow.
Timeline
- 1849Snow publishes his theory about cholera and water.
- 31 August 1854The Soho outbreak begins.
- 1858The Great Stink leads to a modern sewer system.
- 1866London's last cholera outbreak.