After reading the ending of the Ghost Map, I was able to acquire a better understanding of the role Whitehead had in the cholera epidemic in London. A seemingly small person in society had an outstanding impact on the future of an enormous city. Henry Whitehead had sought out an investigation of Snow’s waterborne theory in an attempt to disprove it. Whitehead had a clear edge over Snow in his investigation because Whitehead had a comprehensive background of the neighborhood as a whole. He was able to gather information on citizens who used to live in Soho and moved out as a result of the epidemic. Whitehead was able to conclusively determine that the Lewis baby was the first case of the cholera outbreak.

When reflecting upon this, I realized the importance of knowing your patients and surroundings well. One can even argue that Whitehead’s role in containing the cholera outbreak was just as important as Snow’s role. Without Whitehead, the true source of the cholera outbreak would have possibly never been determined. This eventually led to the construction of a proper sewage system and prevented another outbreak of cholera. The ending of the novel was very chilling in that the author made a reference to another possibility of a cholera outbreak emanating from the Lewis household; a kind of cyclic ending, I would suppose.

So my question is how would London react to the Cholera outbreak if indeed it were to occur like the author foreshadowed in the last few lines of the novel?