The Ghost Map Summary

A read that details the historical prevalence of infectious agents prior to mankind’s scientific discovery of our interactions with other species within the broad environment we fulfill, The Ghost Map: The Story of London’s Most Terrifying Epidemic—and How It Changed Science, Cities, and the Modern World is nothing less than fascinating and important for understanding a brief part of the history of global health concerns. My inclination to use fiction storytelling to share my views on topics I am passion about, connected to Steven Johnson’s well written historical narrative of the September 1854 epidemic of cholera that claimed many innocent lives. However, if it were not for the indefatigable efforts of Dr. John Snow and the intersecting quest

of Rev. Henry Whitehead to identify the cause of the illness, the London cholera outbreak would have claimed even more lives. In conclusion of this novel, we can appreciate our growth into today’s modern world, but in likeness we are able to understand why nearly two centuries later, the same infectious agent that caused the cholera outbreak, Vibrio cholerae, still poses a major threat to our global population. Although the London cholera outbreak is the primary focus of Johnson’s novel, preservation in one’s belief (whether faulty or true), social power and the urban world are leading subjects that bridge social with the scientific.

Prevailing Theories: Social Vs. Scientific

The co-evolution of pathogens with humans is complex due to the fact that humans are able to change host conditions and alter environments of which infectious agents can thrive comfortably.

The Night-Soil Men, the first chapter of the book, parallels the work of microbial scavengers and London’s lower-class in the mid-1800s. Though microbial life was not yet identified, it was sensed through smell which led to many theories of how cholera and other diseases spread. Snow recognized that the observed symptoms and exposure of the popular belief that miasma was the source of cholera, and other diseases during the century, were not matched. The miasma theory that invisible vapors from swamps and cesspools floated in the air, where they could be inhaled and transmitted from person-to-person was challenged by Dr. Snow’s idea that the source of cholera was actually due to water-contamination flowing out of the Broad Street pump and into the mouths of locals. Originally a believer of the miasma theory of disease, Rev. Henry Whitehead, one of the protagonist of The Ghost Map, was convinced by John Snow’s hypothesis and their combined work and scientific observations lead to the early emergence of

epidemiology.

After being introduced to Steven Johnson’s work, I was influenced to read his book Everything Bad Is Good for You and it is obvious that Johnson’s counterintuitive thoughts on topics from video games to reality TV that differed from populations’ opinions, connected to Dr.

John Snow’s and Rev. Henry Whitehead’s unwavering belief that the Broad Street pump was the source of cholera— despite the fact that scientist and doctors were reluctant to dispose of the miasma theory. Thus, an important theme presented throughout the novel is ‘sticking to your gun’ in the face of adversity within the lasting opinions’ of your surrounding society. Snow’s political prowess saved hundreds of lives after he applied a lock on the Broad Street pump, though faulty theories

persisted.

Harnessing the Power of Urbanization

Additionally, The Ghost Map is such an enjoyable book because Johnson’s extensive research provides informative statistics that allow readers to vividly imagine various aspects of urbanization. In order to fully take in the power of the cholera outbreak, Johnson informs us that London in the 18th century’s census , “… had a population of 2.4 million people, making it the most populous on the planet…”(p. 12). Prior to London being the largest urban area in the world, the Western Roman Empire had been the most grand in the 14th century and although a number of factors resulted in it’s collapse, city-dwellers in the 18th century questioned if urban areas were sustainable. Interestingly, this idea is supported by the fact that only 3% of the world’s population lived in urban settings in the 1800’s in comparison to roughly 54% of our population residing in urban areas today (Human Population: Urbanization, 2015). Johnson argues that despite Victorian London cities being disparaged as moral and physical cesspits, due to inefficient water and sanitation standards worsened by overcrowding, urban areas are ideal for humankind’s survival and economic growth.

Summary

The details of human excrement and the job force it created may be considered too graphic for some readers, but the book serves as a great medical history piece. Most importantly, Johnson’s conclusion stresses the dire need for public health infrastructure in order to stop the spread of water-borne infectious agents like V. cholerae. The ideological battles between Snow and Whitehead leading to their combined efforts to map the outbreak’s source depicts the importance of public health teamwork and supports the idea that public health personnel can come together from diverse backgrounds. Although titled The Ghost Map, the book could have benefited from more cartography like that of it’s cover; however, many excerpts throughout the book support Johnson’s writing.