I found it fascinating to read how varied the possible explanations for cholera were at the time. I like how Johnson wove in names and personal stories in with the medical progressions, to give us a better understanding of life at the time. I think it’s easy for us to belittle the knowledge or lack thereof during the outbreak, but I found myself asking whether I would have truly reached the proper conclusion given the circumstances. Sure, drinking water as a temporary solution for losing so much water feels very intuitive, but medical thinking at the time operated according to vastly different beliefs. I couldn’t help but think of how we are dealing with modern epidemics like cancer, for which we have links but no true cause or cure. No society feels archaic in its time, there are always medical mysteries that will later be unraveled.
I was especially impressed by the descriptions on page thirty-seven of just how minuscule the virus would be, despite requiring consumption of literally millions of organisms to fall ill to cholera. How cruel that the pump with the cleanest and clearest appearing water was in fact the most deadly. In this sense, it is perfectly understandable that next to know one would question its toxicity.
However, the question that stuck with me as I read, is why did so many choose to stay, boarded up in their homes? I understand that many did not have the means to leave, but it was contained in such a small area, with many who were well off enough, and I was confused why fleeing the Golden Square (if not London completely) was not a more popular decision.
-Jacqui Larsen
In response to your questions, during the outbreak there were conflicting theories about how cholera was spread so if a family was not sick, they would isolate themselves in order to prevent infection instead of going out in risk of infection. As for moving to a different area, I recall that the people living in the area at the time were considered working/middle class therefore, it wasn’t financially feasible to move away from a home and a job and when combined with the possibility that the new area that the individual would move to may have cases of cholera as well, it seems reasonable that they would want to stay boarded up in their homes. Then again these are my opinions on the issue. What do you think?
Hey Jacqui,
I also was wondering why so many people chose to stay. It was clear that something wrong was going on and that it may only get potentially worse. I believe an answer to your question is that many people would not have wanted to leave their homes and jobs and start new. They may have thought that the epidemic would pass after a couple of months and just decided to wait it out. There could have also been a religious aspect to this decision of either the wrath of God or that God will take care of them.
Reading the first couple of chapters greatly reminded me of the Great Plague or Bubonic Plague which I studied last semester. This plague was caused by the Yersinia pests bacterium and was spread through fleas and rats. Some similarities between this plague and the Cholera epidemic that I saw were the lack of knowledge between medical professionals and government leaders. Often times the wrong precautions were taken that lead to the disease spreading more and gave people a false sense of hope. Government officials often did not pass effective laws that would pinpoint the problem, water contamination, and correct it.
While reading the second chapter, I was impressed that the author gave his readers a summary of Vibrio cholerae and this made it easier to understand the epidemic. I also appreciated how he made the bacteria come alive while talking about how it infects people, reproduces, and kills. This was especially prevalent on page 32 and made the readers believe that the bacteria was really the protagonist in this book like the author said at the beginning of “Ghost Map”
My question is with that with the technology and knowledge of medicine present at that time period, was it possible to avoid this epidemic. If this technology and knowledge was available, why was the cholera epidemic so deadly?
Jacqui, the same question stuck with me – if it was so terrible, why didn’t they just leave? I started thinking about it and maybe it wasn’t only about having the means to flee. Many had built families and lives in the city and maybe they couldn’t bring themselves to just go. Besides, cholera was spreading so quickly that once one family member fell ill, how could they just leave them? I can’t help but think of the father and two sons in the book who were sitting by their ill daughter/sister while mourning the loss of their wife/mother and other daughter/sister. People were dying left and right, and things were happening so quickly. I think that time is something that gets lost when we read about the cholera outbreak, because no one truly understands what it was like except for the Londoners themselves. All we can do is wonder, and try to see things from their perspective.