The Ghost Map: The Story of
Londons Most Terrifying Epidemic--
and How It Changed Science, Cities,
and the Modern World by Steven
Johnson
A Chance Purchase Of A Book On An Historical Chance
A National Bestseller, a New York Times Notable Book, and an
Entertainment Weekly Best Book of the Year Its the summer of 1854,
and London is just emerging as one of the first modern cities in the world.
But lacking the infrastructure-garbage removal, clean water, sewers-
necessary to support its rapidly expanding population, the city has become
the perfect breeding ground for a terrifying disease no one knows how to
cure. As the cholera outbreak takes hold, a physician and a local curate
are spurred to action-and ultimately solve the most pressing medical riddle
of their time. In a triumph of multidisciplinary thinking, Johnson

illuminates the intertwined histories of the spread of disease, the rise of
cities, and the nature of scientific inquiry, offering both a riveting history
and a powerful explanation of how it has shaped the world we live in.
Personal Review: The Ghost Map: The Story of Londons Most
Terrifying Epidemic--and How It Changed Science, Cities, and
the Modern World by Steven Johnson
I picked this up when we went to hear Steven Johnson talk about his
newest book, but the bookstore had a number of his previous books on
display and we looked at these as we waited for his presentation to begin.
This one caught my eye because it is about London and because it was
the story of an historic use of scientific analysis to study a problem, identify
the cause of the problem, and then identify a solution. Having worked in a
number of my professional positions as an analyst, this was very
appealing.
Steven Johnson is herein presenting the story of a relatively shortlived and
relatively minor (to those not caught up in it) outbreak of cholera in London
in the summer of 1854. In the process, he also introduces two individuals
who contribute to the solving of the mystery of what causes cholera as a
result of their efforts studying this particular outbreak in individual efforts
that would eventually converge and even overlap. In the process, Steven
Johnson unveils a great deal about London in the era of Charles Dickens
and the heyday of Queen Victoria. John Snow was already a ground-
breaking contributor to the advancement of medicine by reason of his work
as an anesthesiologist. His mastery of the use of ether and chloroform was
so widely recognized that he was called in to perform this role for the
Queen herself on the occasion of the birth of her eighth child in 1853. He
remained interested, however, in the wider range of progress in medicine
and particularly its unanswered questions.
The recurrent outbreaks of cholera in London and other metropolitan
centers of England and Europe had interested Snow for some years before
the subject outbreak in London. Steven Johnson's presentation of Snow's
investigation of this latest outbreak is a fascinating study of modern
research methodology applied to a real world problem. Snow gathers his
data, analyzes it in various ways, including by graphically tracing the
outbreak on a street map of London, seeking to identify the geographic
origins and thus come closer to identifying the starting point of the
epidemic. The result is a revelatory breakthrough though one not
universally recognized and acclaimed for some years to come..
Ultimately, John Snow's efforts win the support and even partnership of the
curate for the area of the cholera outbreak, Henry Whitehead, although he
is at first skeptical of Snow's claims. This puts him in company at first with
the medical, political, and government establishment who generally agree
that cholera is spread through the atmosphere by means of miasma or bad
air often accompanied by foul odors. Ultimately, Whitehead's own
researchs, reflecting the personal observations made during his many

hours touring the area of the outbreak which constitutes a part of his parish
leads him to support John Snow's contention that cholera is actually
carried and spread by water - especially fouled drinking water. To modern
readers this will come as no suprise and the real interest in the tale is the
telling of how they came to this conclusion and then how they ulitimately
convinced others that John Snow was correct.
Steven Johnson's writing style is pleasant and easy to read. His pacing in
the telling of the story is appropriately also relaxed, never hurrying the
reader on or leaving the story to drag along. He presents an interesting
story in an interesting and readable fashion - it is hard to praise an author
more than to say that and I highly recommend this book as a result. And if
you happened to actually be interested in the subject matter as well, as
was I, than you will doubtlessly be doubly awarded in the reading of it.
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