the story of London's deadliest epidemic-- and how it changed the way we think about disease, cities, science, and the modern world
A thrilling historical account of the worst cholera outbreak in Victorian London-and a brilliant exploration of how Dr. John Snow's solution revolutionized the way we think about disease, cities, science, and the modern world.From the dynamic thinker routinely compared to Malcolm Gladwell, E. O. Wilson, and James Gleick, The Ghost Map is a riveting page-turner with a real-life historical hero that brilliantly illuminates the intertwined histories of the spread of viruses, rise of cities, and the nature of scientific inquiry. These are topics that have long obsessed Steven Johnson, and The Ghost Map is a true triumph of the kind of multidisciplinary thinking for which he's become famous-a book that, like the work of Jared Diamond, presents both vivid history and a powerful and provocative explanation of what it means for the world we live in.The Ghost Map takes place in the summer of 1854. A devastating cholera outbreak seizes …
A thrilling historical account of the worst cholera outbreak in Victorian London-and a brilliant exploration of how Dr. John Snow's solution revolutionized the way we think about disease, cities, science, and the modern world.From the dynamic thinker routinely compared to Malcolm Gladwell, E. O. Wilson, and James Gleick, The Ghost Map is a riveting page-turner with a real-life historical hero that brilliantly illuminates the intertwined histories of the spread of viruses, rise of cities, and the nature of scientific inquiry. These are topics that have long obsessed Steven Johnson, and The Ghost Map is a true triumph of the kind of multidisciplinary thinking for which he's become famous-a book that, like the work of Jared Diamond, presents both vivid history and a powerful and provocative explanation of what it means for the world we live in.The Ghost Map takes place in the summer of 1854. A devastating cholera outbreak seizes London just as it is emerging as a modern city: more than 2 million people packed into a ten-mile circumference, a hub of travel and commerce, teeming with people from all over the world, continually pushing the limits of infrastructure that's outdated as soon as it's updated. Dr. John Snow-whose ideas about contagion had been dismissed by the scientific community-is spurred to intense action when the people in his neighborhood begin dying. With enthralling suspense, Johnson chronicles Snow's day-by-day efforts, as he risks his own life to prove how the epidemic is being spread.When he creates the map that traces the pattern of outbreak back to its source, Dr. Snow didn't just solve the most pressing medical riddle of his time. He ultimately established a precedent for the way modern city-dwellers, city planners, physicians, and public officials think about the spread of disease and the development of the modern urban environment.The Ghost Map is an endlessly compelling and utterly gripping account of that London summer of 1854, from the microbial level to the macrourban-theory level-including, most important, the human level.
Also the last half of the book is a great look at the value in diversity and density that big cities provide.
The first half of this book is fantastic – reads like a murder mystery, but one that somehow sneaks in a primer on infectious disease along the way. The second half is repetitive, speculative, and mired in the specific the context of 2006 (and therefore doesn't age well). My advice? Stop reading on page 188; that way you'll have fond memories of the book and get to enjoy an extra hour or two of free time.
This book will make you want to question the purity of your water system, and will drive you to wash your hands. A lot.
Cholera. We don't hear much about it anymore, but it used to be a big problem. Thankfully we have moved into more sanitary times, in part due to the work of Dr. John Snow, who knows more than nothing. He probably had less fabulous hair, though. He mapped the clusters of outbreaks and determined the source was tied to the Broad Street pump. Groundbreaking work for that time, and as you would expect, no one believed him. But eventually the outbreak was contained, sanitation became better, and people lived longer.
I found it a fascinating read. Very glad to live in the 21st century where medicine, and life, has evolved to allow me to live to be 114. 3 stars.
