2014 Shaping the Future of New York Fridays: 11:00-1:45 Boylan Hall, 2231

It is all too easy to draw parallels between the confusion brought on by nineteenth century London’s cholera outbreak and that of the United States’ HIV outbreak in the late twentieth century.  It seems that, without proper scientific evidence to show them the way, even professionals have a hard time breaking away from intuition.  In London, the only theory remotely applicable to cholera’s actual cause–John Snow’s theory of waterborne illness–was given virtually no attention by the media, while miasmic theories pervaded the public mind; in the case of early HIV in the U.S., the first noted cases of abnormal illness were attributed, somehow, to the infected being gay–or living a different “lifestyle” than the norm–and doctors didn’t stop to think that, perhaps, they were looking in the wrong direction.  In both events, the proponents of the most dominant theories ran with them, putting on the back burner, ignoring or all-too-quickly rejecting the ideas of those that would ultimately help the most.  How common is this occurrence during outbreaks of illness over time?  What would have happened if Snow had stopped investigating the root of the outbreak?  If he had not been so vigorous in his surveying of the area and its people?  If Henry Whitehead had not stepped in to convince the public?

Interestingly enough, I’m actually extremely sick at the moment, which is why I was out of school today and I won’t be in class tomorrow. It’s funny how reading a book on cholera while you’re sick can play games with the mind.

Anyway, I continue to be a fan of John Snow and everything he does. I like how he used maps to bolster the credibility of his research. It was very smart of him to decide to research anomalies in and surrounding the Broad Street area; it’s often the exceptions to the rule that prove it. In this case, the fact that there was evidence that showed that cholera cases decreased in areas that relied in different pumps should be enough to persuade people. Unfortunately, miasmatists were very hard to convince.

It was also interesting reading about the different reasons miasma theory was so popular. As expected, miasma theory was very useful in upholding class prejudices – the “undesirables” of the city were surely to blame, as they lived in horrid conditions with offensive smells! Of course they’d be responsible for cholera. It’s interesting also to see the role that religion had in miasma theory. In short, it’s unfortunate how easily an incorrect viewpoint can persist simply because it reaffirms comforting old notions. I’m sure this is why there is still the stigma prohibiting gay men from donating blood – why acknowledge that the scares of old are outdated when you can fall back on time-honored homophobia?

To summarize, I liked this book. It’s very easy to draw parallels between the cholera outbreak in Victorian London and epidemics that exist in modern society. We’d do well to remember that epidemics always have a social element to them, and they have a way of shaping history in the same way that wars do; they’re just much harder to predict.

The ending chapters of the Ghost Map prompted some serious thinking for me concerning the stubbornness or hardheadedness of group thinking. When the entirety of Broad Street and its inhabitants believed that the smell was the demon that was causing them all to contract cholera, they were succumbing to an easy explanation. However, once the thinking became accepted among the majority, it was almost impossible to shake from their psyches. This is especially the case because biologically we are wired to sense smells and detect them as either helpful (in the case of food), or harmful (in the case of excrement, poision, etc.). Since the disease spread so quickly, and the smells from cesspools, etc. were so easy to pinpoint, the airborne idea was an easy pill for citizens to swallow. It was only through Snow’s determination to bring health and knowledge to the city that the previous myths were shattered. I was incredibly inspired by his work and relentless innovation and research in spite of opposition.

His path towards a more informed culture among disease leads the way for other aspiring health teachers and innovators. As an aspiring yoga instructor, I relate to his efforts. I want to someday show the world how interconnected and beneficial yoga is to the mind and consciousness. It is not just an exercise of flexibility, as is the common myth. Instead, it involves complicated brain science, and when practiced often enough and combined with meditation can bring immense healing to trauma patients or those with PTSD.

In conclusion, nothing is ever as straightforward as it seems in this world of waterborne bacteria and mythological health scares. It takes a lot of hard work and dedication to uncover the multi layered fringes of our health epidemics and medications.

Annaliisa Gifford