John Snow and Epidemology - Essay Example

John Snow and epidemiology al Affiliation: John Snow and Epidemiology John Snow is one of the greatest scientists born to a familyof nine children. His parents were laborers, born in 1813; John Snow practiced to be a surgeon 14 years later after his birth. He later joined a medical college for medical course; this was in 1836, two years later, he was an affiliate of the Royal College Surgeons. In 1844, John Snow completed his university Studies at the University of London and graduated. Royal College of Physicians recruited him later in 1850 (Simmons, 2002).

History reveals that John Snow was the eldest child in the family. He attended day school because of his family background; his father could only afford that because he was an unskilled laborer. Snow was a bright student; his best subject was mathematics and he did well in that and on other subjects. Simmons (2002) reveals that Snow graduated from the University of London in 1843 and he also obtained a doctorate in medicine a year later. John Snow’s epidemiological studies assisted in finding the root of cholera in London in 1854.

A number of diseases had affected the residents of England prior 19th century, some include plague in 1665. However, there was an epidemic of cholera in 1831 thought to have been brought by travellers and merchants from parts of Asia. Cholera was a serious threat to the population of England. Medical experts were confused, but John Snow came to their rescue. He revealed that Cholera was caused by a certain agent in London water. Previously before his revelation or theory, the other physicians attributed the spread of cholera to filthiness of London City (Simmons, 2002).

The previous theories relating to the spread of cholera pointed out that it was an airborne disease. This was in mid-19th century whereby physicians thought that cholera concentrated at the low levels altitudes. Workers and merchants in slaughterhouses were causing the spread of cholera according to Miasmatists. The Miasmatists explained that the foul smell from the slaughterhouses was the causing the spread of cholera. John Snow refuted their claims saying that the workers who frequently works at the slaughterhouses inhales miasmus.

They have however not been the targets of cholera. He meant that the inhalation of miasmus did not cause the spread of cholera. The spread of Cholera according to Snow was caused by ingestion of morbid matter related to cholera (Ramsay, 2006). Relationship between host, agent and environment increases the spread of the disease. The three aspects exist independently, but their integration will lead to spread of the disease. Host is a person that might contain the disease. Agent is something that carries the disorder.

The environment controls the agent that causes the spread of the diseases. For example, in his studies, John Snow concluded that the spread of cholera in London was attributed to water supplied by Broad Street Pump. John Snow did a research and realized that there was a close relationship between water suppliers and number of deaths. The research meant that the water from different suppliers caused different statistics of death. One of the companies that supplied residents of London, Southwark Company pumped its water from Thames River the river was polluted.

The other company supplied the population from the same river but, upstream from polluted area. In this sense, the residents supplied with water from Southwark Company had a higher number of cholera cases (Bonita et al., 2006).ReferencesBonita, R., Beaglehole, R. & Kjellström, T. (2006). Basic Epidemiology. Geneva: World Health Organization. Ramsay, M., A., E. (2006). John Snow, MD: Anaesthetist to the Queen of England and Pioneer Epidemiologist. Proc (Bayl Univ Med Cent), 19 (1), 24–28.Simmons, J. G. (2002).

Doctors and Discoveries: Lives that Created Todays Medicine. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.