The Story of London's Most Terrifying Epidemic--and How It Changed Science

Other prior review summaries capture the major elements of this informative book. This is the kind of story that instills concerns about the potential for future pandemics and the risks that they pose, but it encourages optomism about how science meets these threats.

I used this book for a Principles of Epidemiology class that I teach to graduate nursing students. I have them read this book before the first day of class and we discuss it on that day. Even if you're not a nursing/science/medical student, this book gives a great history of Victorian London and the issues affecting the citizens at that time. Very well written.

This is history which reads like fiction! For anyone who likes English history and culture, plus medical mysteries, this is a fascinating, fast read. I learned so much! And now with Ebola moving through west Africa, epidemiology is more important than ever.

I don't understand how an author or publisher can produce a book with "Map" in the title and provide only one so-so map in the work. How about maps that show the SoHo neighborhood as it relates to others and to central London? Why don't we see maps that show the water intakes and sewer outlets along the Thames? How about a diagram that shows a cross-sectional view of the basements, cesspools, drains, sewer lines, wells, etc? Unfortunately, the author leaves all this to our imagination or to another source. That approach--common these days across many authors and publishers--diminishes the story. An interesting story, but only three stars.

This is a relevant book in describing man's ignorance and how we evolved to overcome beliefs and prejudice. It shows how one man's part could eventually affect us all, and that we are all connected is someway in this world.

Shocking to read about life in 1850 London. I had never thought about cities without sewers and sanitation. It was also interesting to read about how the cholera epidemic was stopped and how the cause was discovered. The author got a bit long winded talking about this day and age and what might happen etc... Overall a good read.

The topic of the book is fascinating and I specially liked the links between urban ecology and epidemics. It is somewhat illuminating in the investigation of Snow and Whitehead, but somehow it is not easy to follow the thread of evidence and ideas. The text is repetitive and could have been written in probably half the space, and the last chapter seemed a bit farfetched and out of topic. The author's tries to make a case for the mega-city; the idea is interesting but I find many of the connections to the cholera unconvincing. In all, I enjoyed the book, specially the first 4-5 chapters specifically on victorian London (which seems to be his specialty anyways).

Fascinating tale of Victorian hygiene. The author starts off with the telling of more about poo than anyone would ever think he needed to know. City sanitation before the modern age was just plain hideous. You wonder how the populace could live this way but I guess it was just "how things were" for them.

The basic premise of the book continued to be interesting but deteriorated due to bad editing. The same information was given 10 ways to Sunday and then the author really ran amuck with references to global warming.

Overall, an interesting read but if you stop at the halfway point you'll get a better story.....bg

This book is an eye-opening description of the search for the cause of cholera in Victorian England. It also is a cautionary tale about the resistance of well-meaning scientists and social reformers to believing information or theories that contradict well-established explanations that are little more that dangerous myths. Miasma really is one of those seemingly reasonable and logical ideas that have killed people. I guess you cannot trust your nose to smell out danger all of the time.

The primary text of this book is exceptional. I'm constantly fascinated by how much we didn't know back in the day (e.g., thinking that evil spirits spread disease through the air, using leeches to "cure" disease, and not burning witches at the stake provided that they didn't come up from the bottom of the river but instead drowned), which of course lends itself to the more contemporary question, "What don't we know now?" Probably a whole helluva lot.

Johnson does a great job of tying together the disparate threads of two men who are trying to solve a cholera epidemic in 1854 London. Despite their completely opposite views of the world (one is a scientist, the other a clergyman), they share a common goal: saving the working class from gruesome, guaranteed death at the behest of a terrible and fast-acting disease. Books only occasionally force me to change my view of the world, but this one did. It forced me to reconsider my opinion of the clergy, in the form of Henry Whitehead. He epitomizes the religious ideals of compassion and service to others, and without the expectation of anything in return.

I read this book in about a day and couldn't put it down. This is a fascinating and well-written book. The only part I didn't like was the Epilogue. Another review I read some time ago described the Epilogue as something akin to a doctoral dissertation outline that was tacked on to the end of the book. I have to agree. With its focus on carbon footprints and eco-sensitivity, it was not clearly connected to the book itself, and frankly, had almost no relevance. One can skip the Epilogue completely and not even no that anything was missed. Because it wasn't. I'd give this book 4 stars if I were forced to consider the Epilogue as part of the book.

One of the better books concerning incidents in the history of London. If you're curious, check out the area on Google Maps. If you "wander" around you can see part of the old work house. Also there is a small memorial near the site of the infected water supply. There is a pub called "John Snow" on the corner.

“The Ghost Map” is a lightning fast, engaging read, filled with fact-based twists and turns that illuminate the difficulty for humans to accept change. Real life hero, John Snow, an anesthesiologist (he discovered/created the field) identifies the source of the cholera outbreak of 1854 in London, but has to battle to overcome the existing medical community’s belief in Miasma. This is a wonderful read for mystery lovers, but it is a must read for the medical and public administration communities.

One of the better books concerning incidents in the history of London. If you're curious, check out the area on Google Maps. If you "wander" around you can see part of the old work house. Also there is a small memorial near the site of the infected water supply. There is a pub called "John Snow" on the corner.

“The Ghost Map” is a lightning fast, engaging read, filled with fact-based twists and turns that illuminate the difficulty for humans to accept change. Real life hero, John Snow, an anesthesiologist (he discovered/created the field) identifies the source of the cholera outbreak of 1854 in London, but has to battle to overcome the existing medical community’s belief in Miasma. This is a wonderful read for mystery lovers, but it is a must read for the medical and public administration communities.

The book is very well written. My one complaint is the material is not foot-noted. Profound statements of fact are made with no reference provided. I am a scientist who checks sources. End notes without foot notes are a serious shortcoming for me.

A wonderful, riveting account of the 19th Century cholera outbreaks in London, the science of Epidemiology and work of John Snow, life in 19th Century London, and the consequences of decisions made during that period.

A friend recommended The Ghost Map, and I can see why. Steven Johnson is a writer who keeps one's interest even while he describes horrifying sanitary (or lack of) conditions in London slums in 1854 which ultimately led to a cholera epidemic and the death of hundreds of people. Two men, John Snow and Alfred Whitehorse, were ultimately responsible for tracing the outbreak to a contaminated public pump and for changing the prevailing scientific attitude from the spread of disease by miasma to water.

Excellent book! I never thought about or realized the problems cities
like London had with huge populations before sewer systems and before
the epidemiology of diseases was worked out. People dumped their faces
out the window, or filled ditches in front or in back of their homes, or
filled the crawl spaces or basements with it. Others had jobs removing
this human waste in the middle of the night in wheel barrows to the city
limits. The cause of cholera was unknown, and many believed it had to do
with "bad air", or "atmosphere". Two men, a doctor and a priest ended up
coming together to get to the root of this disease, leading to the first
functioning sewer system in any large city.

The Ghost Map is a very interesting and important history of a global and scientifically important event, the 1858 cholera epidemic in London. The book describes how the independent observation of two men overcame the set-in-concrete mindset of the prevaling wisdom regarding the causes of the origin and spread of the deadly disease. However, I felt the epilogue on the coming urbanization of the planet was a somewhat jarring political ending to the essentially Victorian history. I feel the conflict over a lack of resources (water, in particular) will prevent the global city predicted by the author.

Very interesting read - the rise of our modern model of public health and epidemiology is truly fascinating. The author has a tendency to get lost in pages of conjecture and rhetoric which can slow the book down. He ends with an analysis of the likelihood of a similar epidemic occurring in today's world and contrasts those dangers with the dangers of a nuclear attack.

This is a well crafted book. An interesting read that I found quite interesting and educational about history, cholera, London, life in the mid 19th century, and the resistance of science to out of the box thinkers.

My elderly father, with a background in clinical research and the biological sciences, found this book to be fascinating and well written. I hope to borrow it for a long drive home next time we visit.

Extremely well written, it is a very interesting story that IT folks (business intelligence, reporting analysts) may enjoy thoroughly.
A bit of Sherlock Holmes, another part of Dr House and some journalism... and delightful English natural flow of speech.

The topic, the research, and the background story are all interesting. The writing just gets a little repetitive. For a good reference point, there's the wikipedia entry on the London Soho Cholera outbreak.