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Good Book Guide
‘Required reading for a society increasingly under threat of another pandemic’
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
Review
* 'Ripping yarns from the dawn of proper medicine' Ben Goldacre, Guardian
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
22 of 22 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
An engrossing story of the missed opportunities by the medical and political establishment to see the truth about how cholera is spread. To modern eyes the evidence carefully collected by John Snow seems obvious and the delays in implementing the precautions to stop the spread criminal. The book is not just a highly readable 'detective' story of how the truth emerged, but also a salutory reminder of how entenched views of any kind of establishment are very difficult to shift, particularly by someone who is not one of their own; and how the needs of commerce, in this case water companies, can override the protection of the public's health.
This book can be enjoyed by anyone interested how scientific/medical advances are made and how often it's a slow business with more than one person contributing to the final truth. It can also be enjoyed by those of us employed in trying to find these truths and remind us to be open-minded about things that don't fit our preconceived beliefs.
This book can be enjoyed by anyone interested how scientific/medical advances are made and how often it's a slow business with more than one person contributing to the final truth. It can also be enjoyed by those of us employed in trying to find these truths and remind us to be open-minded about things that don't fit our preconceived beliefs.
16 of 16 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is a fantastic tale of Victorian London, which though at heart is a medical tale, it's ultimately detective work that triumphs over the medical establishment. In the mid-1800s as cholera began to sweep Europe the medical establishment were at a loss, this was before the germ theory of disease and most medical treatment tended still to do more harm. Cholera whilst reasonably lethal to humans can be easily avoided as long as one avoids drinking from a contaminated water supply. Perhaps and observation for us to make today, but in a world before microbes this was still a large leap to make. Hempel skilfully weaves her tale of 19th century London telling us how Jon Snow through is grand experiment managed to unravel the mystery of cholera, along the way were introduced to a whole host of other characters from Florence Nightingale to Queen Victoria and well as presented with many fascinating facts and historical anecdotes. The prose is highly readable having an almost novel like quality to it, the story fascinating and more importantly we witness the legacy that the great cholera outbreaks still have on our society today.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
It was through the BBC series "Seven wonders of the Industrial World" that I first learned of the life and work of Dr John Snow and it was this that prompted me to buy Sandra Hempel's book, and I am so glad I did. It is a first rate story of one mans quest to understand and treat a terrfying disease and of the fierce opposition he faced from his peers, it is also a magnificent insight into society, disease and some of the appalling treatments metered out to try and cure patients in Victorian England. If nothing else after reading this book you may not looks at the NHS in such a poor light, considering how you would have been treated one hundred and fifty years ago.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Rip-roaring read through cholera-struck London & the life of a medical...
As someone who does who does not often read, I can thoroughly recommend this book which I borrowed from a library on a Saturday afternoon and had finished by the following... Read more
Published 16 months ago by A reader
BR 01
This book discribe very well the period when the cholera attacked the Brithish island. Additionally this book give a very good idea of the different approaches have been used by... Read more
Published 19 months ago by BR
John Snow - Medical Hero.
We all take our fresh water supply for granted nowadays, but if we had lived a hundred and fifty years ago we would have had the pleasure of our water being pumped directly from a... Read more
Published on 22 Feb 2010 by J. Cook
Thoroughly engrossing and informative
This was a very illuminating and intelligent read that manages to combine fascinating social history with the struggle of an individual to make himself heard, without either... Read more
Published on 18 Nov 2009 by Dog in a Flat Cap
Truly a 5 star read ...
This book is full of interesting facts presented in a fascinating way. It follows a story of a quiet, but determined doctor to discover the truth behind the reoccurring epidemics... Read more
Published on 24 Aug 2009 by Kate D, Bromley, Kent
Well Researched and Well Written
I could not fault this book. The author has obviously carried a lot of research on John Snow and also on the Cholera epidemics. If this is your topic, then this is your book.
Published on 14 Aug 2009 by Lynch
WOW!
What an amazing book. I was hooked from start to finish. This writer has clearly honed both her style and her content into one ingrossing tale of scientific mystery. Read more
Published on 7 Oct 2006 by schmicheal
History with current relevance
Excellent history of the discovery of how a killer disease was transmitted; informative and readable. Read more
Published on 30 April 2006 by KM
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