Medical Advancements As A Result of Cholera
By: Tariq Ahmadzai
A cartoon from 1866 based on the ideas that John Snow came up with, blaming the Broad Street Pump as the leading factor in spreading the disease
With the outbreak of diseases and specifically the Cholera Outbreak of 1854 in London, many medical milestones and achievements have followed. Firstly, the medical challenges set by Cholera left many Doctors uncertain of how a disease such as Cholera came to be and how it was spread. Dr. John Snow identified what could have been the root source and through many tests and documents, could prove that The Broad Street Pump and the connecting Thames river were the sources of the disease. modern-day practices for isolating diseases and finding the root cause of outbreaks are of top priority due to the innovations of Dr. Snow. Some of the ways medical professionals such as Robert Koch attempted and succeeded in the isolation of the tuberculosis virus in 1882 and following time in Eygpt and India, the isolation of the Cholera disease. This type of isolation process is used in current-day studies for diseases like Coivd-19. The many benefits of isolating a disease can further help researchers in the quest for a vaccine to ultimately solve pandemics and the same could be said about Cholera and Covid-19.
The second area of conquering a disease lies in the vaccine. An example of a bacteriologist that attempts that was Waldemar Haffkine. Although his attempts would later force him out of India due to the deaths of 19 people in the village of Mulkowal, his intentions and methods followed those of John Snow. Haffkine spent time in British India between 1894 and 1902 attempting to push his vaccine to the Indian population that was still facing the terrible effects of Cholera. After some components of the vaccine were contaminated, 19 fell ill to tetanus. Both Haffkine and Snow are known as medical professionals but one had a story of tremendous success while the other is shortcoming by a man with unlimited potential. The modern-day effects of the cholera vaccine are still being felt today in the distribution of WHO Cholera Treatment kits.
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In today's time, the vaccine Vaxchora is commonly used to treat those with Cholera. The World Health Organization also provides kits around the world that contains:1 for investigation 1 with supplies for laboratory confirmation 3 for treatment at each of the community, peripheral and central levels 1 support kit with logistical materials including solar lamps, fencing, and water bladders and taps. This kit contains enough materials for up to 100 patients and helps prepare for a cholera outbreak.
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WHO also has a section based on the disassembly of cholera in places around the world, the section titled "Ending Cholera: a Roadmap to 2030" contains three points to help support their mission statement.
1. Early detection and quick response to contain outbreaks
2. A targeted multi-sectoral approach to prevent cholera recurrence
3. An effective mechanism of coordination for technical support
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World Health Organization: Cholera Treatment Kits
With information constantly updating, the World Health Organization is a key source to stay updated on outbreaks, causes, and the history of cholera.
The link to the WHO website: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/cholera
Infrastructure Advancements As A Result of Cholera
The new Abbey Mills Pumping Station was built-in 1997
The evolution of water treatment has drastically changed since John Snow and the Broad Street Pump. The knowledge of tainted water systems has reached around the globe and many initiatives have been made to incorporate safer sewage treatment. The privatization of water in the 19th century led to the inevitable buyout or merger under the government's control. Allowing more systems to be placed around London and the Greater London Area throughout the 20th century. The same can be said about sewage treatment as the old process was simply releasing sewage into the River Thames, Joseph Bazalgette was the civil engineer and Chief Engineer of the Metropolitan Board of Works, who was in charge of fixing the issues that lead to the death of many. London now has over 15 different reservoirs that water is taken from producing clean water, also London is equipped with multiple water treatment works and pumping stations. London's mass population has led to some small difficulties in sewage treatment as the pipes are large enough to support the mass amounts of sewage but plans are in motion to help solve this issue.
Countries around the world including Canada have had a great deal of renovation in water treatment and sewage treatment, some original works are still in use today and continue to produce clean water from towns and cities around the Greater Toronto Area. Dundas had their first pumps in 1860 that pulled water from Lake Ontario. While in today's statistics, it does not provide nearly enough to support Dundas anymore, it was a monument step for Canadians and helped thousands get back to living a regular life.
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There are downsides to water and sewage treatment as well. Natural disasters often break down existing systems and can leave a population devastated without clean drinking water and a place to release waste into. More than 100 000 people die from Cholera and other water-borne diseases every year and the issue is more prevalent in developing countries where clean water is scarce. While water is a basic human right, clean water is harder to come by and must be provided to all those in need.
The Texas cold front devastated many water treatment and sewage treatment as they were not built to handle the extreme cold weather. This image shows sewage water piled up in front of houses
Technological Advancements As A Result of Cholera
One of the largest areas of improvement can be linked to the technology sector of the medical world. The updates in medical tools have greatly improved and the sanitary issues that plagued the world in years past are not an issue anymore in part to better practices in understanding disease cause and isolation and better water and sewage treatment. With all that information, a system was needed to implement in order for medical practitioners to have easy and constant access.
The Medical GIS (geographic information systems) is a tool used by millions in the medical field every day and has ties to times even before the Cholera Outbreak of 1854. Through the technological improvements in computer and computer systems, the Medical GIS has been implemented into a computer mapping program that has the ability to capture, store, analyze, and display geographically-referenced information. Technology in partnership with medical and infrastructure advancements has changed the world for the better, allowing the sick to get healthier and the already healthy to avoid getting sick in the first place.
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This map of Soho drawn by John Snow could be an early document that could have been accessed in a version of the Medical GIS. It contains key information regarding outbreak hotspots and pump locations.
The link to access this virtual map is: https://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/interactive/2013/mar/15/cholera-map-john-snow-recreated
This image is similar to John Snow's original map, but it has vastly improved. This is a virtual map found through an article posted on The Guardian's website titled "John Snow's data journalism: the cholera map that changed the world" and is written by Simon Rogers.
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The interactive map can be used to help medical researchers understand the effect urban living can have on the spread of a deadly virus. The lack of proper sanitation procedures and the lack of information can have on a community like Soho. Like the Medical GIS, this is a strong technological improvement that will be used for many years to come.
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