The Broad Street Pump — Data Village · Data Stories
A London doctor drew a map and discovered where a terrible illness was coming from: the water. Interactive Data Stories on MyLeoNes: real open data, animated.
A London doctor drew a map and discovered where a terrible illness was coming from: the water.
The Story
In 1854 there was a cholera outbreak in the Soho area of London which killed over 600 people. The doctor John Snow marked the deaths on a map and saw they all clustered around the Broad Street water pump.
Snow persuaded the authorities to take the pump handle away on 8th September, 1854. He also compared houses getting water from two different companies: the one that took water from the dirtier bit of the River Thames had many more deaths. At the time, lots of people thought cholera came from 'bad air'. Snow’s data helped show it came from water.
Key Ideas
- Dot map: Mark each case on a map. That way you can see where they cluster together.
- Pattern: Something that repeats. The cases clustered around a water pump.
- Group comparison: See the difference between people who drank different water.
- Proof: The data helped convince those in charge to do something.
Step by Step
- Collect the cases.
- Mark each one on a map.
- Look for places where they cluster.
- Compare different groups.
- Draw a conclusion and take action.
Try it Yourself
Draw a map of your street or your school and mark with dots where the bins are. Where are they missing?
Source: John Snow, «On the Mode of Communication of Cholera», 1855
Keep exploring
Other languages
Loading MyLeoNes™…
