In 1831, an unknown, horrifying, and deadly disease from Asia swept across continental Europe and North America, killing millions and throwing the medical profession into confusion. A killer with little respect for class or wealth, cholera ravaged the squalid streets of Soho and rocked the great centers of Victorian power. In this gripping book, Sandra Hempel tells the story of John Snow, a reclusive doctor without money or social position, who—alone and unrecognized—had the genius to look beyond the conventional wisdom of his day and uncover the truth behind the pandemic. She describes how Snow discovered that cholera was spread through drinking water and how this subsequently laid the foundations for the modern, scientific investigation of today's fatal plagues.

A dramatic account with a colorful cast of characters, The Strange Case of the Broad Street Pump features diversions into fascinating facets of medical and social history, such as Snow's tending of Queen Victoria in childbirth, Dutch microbiologist Leeuwenhoek's deliberate breeding of lice in his socks, Dickensian children's farms, and riotous nineteenth-century anesthesia parties. An afterword discusses the new threat of infectious diseases—including malaria, yellow fever, and cholera—with today's global warming.

Copub: Granta

Sandra Hempel is a journalist and copywriter. Her work has appeared in The Times, Sunday Times, Guardian, and Mail on Sunday, as well as many other leading publications.

“The Strange Case of the Broad Street Pump is an easy read. Sixteen chapters and 294 pages of well-annotated text provide an informative insight into one of the great sagas of medical history.”—JAMA

"The life and times of the cholera bacterium makes a fascinating story--with a happy ending too. . . . For a start—tap water will never be boring again."—The Independent (UK)

"Required reading for a society increasingly under threat of another pandemic."—Good Book Guide (UK)

"A fast-paced and compelling account . . . a thriller—tense, clear and vivid. The eyewitness accounts are terrifying, the blindness and prejudice infuriating."—New Humanist (UK)

"When Victorian Britain was hit by a series of cholera epidemics, most doctors assumed they were caused by an airborne disease. It took a humble general practitioner, John Snow, to realize that contaminated water was the true cause. His tireless hunt for clinical evidence to prove his case provides the backbone of Sandra Hempel's riveting history."—The Daily Telegraph

"Hempel gives an excellent account both of the disease and of the man whose courage and commitment belatedly put an end to one of the recurrent nightmares of the mid-19th century. Along the way she provides tantalizing and wry snippets of information about other aspects of 19th-century medicine such as homeopathy, as well. . . . a lively, well-researched book that will appeal to the general reader."—The Spectator

"Meticulously researched and with a sophisticated approach to history, this is also an exciting and compelling story. After reading it, I dreamt about being lost and scared at night in the filthy lanes of Victorian London."—Andrew Cunningham, Senior Research Fellow in History of Medicine, University of Cambridge

"This book is one of those rare gems that thrills like fiction but is based on fact. It tells of the clear thought and quiet endeavour of a man who, without seeking honour or fame, persisted in overcoming prejudice and separating fact from fancy. john Snow discovered the way in which epidemic cholera was caught and nearly always killed us. By doing so he not only told the world how to prevent it, he laid the basis for the the prevention of all the world's medical ills—the science of epidemiology."—Dr. Mike Smith, Former NHS Director of Public Health (UK), and current 'resident' GP for Channel 5 News.

"This vivid book about the victories of science over ignorance provides insight as we head towards the next epidemic."—Dr. Paul Volberding, Director of the Center for AIDS Research, University of California, San Francisco

Board of Science Award for the Public Understanding of Science, British Medical Association
Highly Commended, Basis of Medicine category, British Medical Book Competition, British Medical Association