John Snow, (born March 15, 1813, York, Eng.—died June 16, 1858, London), British physician known for his studies of cholera and widely viewed as the father of modern epidemiology. His best-known studies include his investigation of London’s Broad Street pump outbreak (1854) and his “Grand Experiment,” a study comparing water-borne cholera cases in two regions of the city—one receiving sewage-contaminated water and the other receiving relatively clean water. His innovative reasoning and approach to the control of this deadly disease remain valid and are considered exemplary for epidemiologists throughout the world. Snow was also a respected anesthesiologist. His success with administering chloroform to Queen Victoria led to an increase in the social acceptance of the use of gaseous anesthesia.
John Snow Article
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cholera Summary
Cholera, an acute infection of the small intestine caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae and characterized by extreme diarrhea with rapid and severe depletion of body fluids and salts. Cholera has often risen to epidemic proportions in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, particularly in India and
epidemiology Summary
Epidemiology, branch of medical science that studies the distribution of disease in human populations and the factors determining that distribution, chiefly by the use of statistics. Unlike other medical disciplines, epidemiology concerns itself with groups of people rather than individual patients
medicine Summary
Medicine, the practice concerned with the maintenance of health and the prevention, alleviation, or cure of disease. The World Health Organization at its 1978 international conference held in the Soviet Union produced the Alma-Ata Health Declaration, which was designed to serve governments as a