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Cholera: The Victorian Plague
£11.10£12.30 (-10%)
Discover the story of the disease that devastated the Victorian population, and brought about major changes in sanitation. Drawing on the latest scientific research and a wealth of archival material, Amanda Thomas uses first-hand accounts, blending personal stories with an overview of the history of the disease and its devastating after-effects on British society. This fascinating history of a catastrophic disease uncovers forgotten stories from each of the major cholera outbreaks in 1831-3, 1848-9, 1853-4 and 1866. Amanda Thomas reveals that Victorian theories about the disease were often closer to the truth than we might assume, among them the belief that cholera was spread by miasma, or foul air.
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Additional information
| Publisher | Pen & Sword History (30 May 2020) |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Paperback | 240 pages |
| ISBN-10 | 1526781816 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-1526781819 |
| Dimensions | 15.24 x 1.91 x 22.86 cm |
by MH
I am afraid this book is medically extremely dubious. “Might it be possible that [cholera] could be transmitted [by inhalation] in the same way as Crohn’s?” “It would not be impossible for cholera bacteria to be inhaled in a similar way to Crohn’s and then find its way to the intestines”
Absolutely nonsensical medical writing. Although there is some research into a possible infectious trigger to Crohn’s disease, “Crohn’s” is not something that one can inhale.
With such basic lack of understanding of the aetiology of disease and such a dire lack of care as to accuracy in imparting information, this book cannot be trusted. Sorry.
by Amazon Customer
I’ve just finished reading this fascinating book – a reminder of how resourceful bacteria and viruses are. Amanda traces the spread of cholera from Bengal to the British Isles, and gives great insight into the unsanitary conditions which helped the disease to thrive, particularly in over-crowded urban areas with contaminated water supplies. The chapter on the Lambeth children’s home is quite horrifying.
by Lauri Sim
Cholera has always held a facination for me, I’m not sure why, it just has, and this is a fascinating study into not only the disease but how the victorians viewed it and its place in society. Few diseases have such an impact on society and so this insight is truly interesting.
by Soozee
A very solid text about cholera during the Victorian era. The book follows the origin and spread of the epidemic, looking very thoroughly at the work of scientists at that time who tried so hard to find out why these epidemics rose and fell. It was interesting to see the work they did to explore how the disease was spread, the insistence of the ‘miasma’ theories rather than understanding how it was waterborne, and the poor sanitation and housing conditions that exacerbated the spread of the disease.
The author has researched the contemporary scientists and their theories in detail, and gives detailed accounts of issues such as the Tooting workhouse scandal and the eventual improvement of sanitation in London and beyond. Some accounts are shocking and harrowing.
A thoroughly readable and academic book, taking the story right to the present day.
Thank you to NetGalley and Pen & Sword for allowing me access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
by ceecee
First of all, this book has been very well researched and makes for accessible reading whether you know much about the cholera outbreaks or not. I knew quite a lot of the background but the depth provided certainly added to my knowledge and understanding. The book is very well written and although the science sections made sense at the time, I doubt it’ll lodge long in my science averse brain!!! I came to appreciate the spread better from the Bay of Bengal which still remains the origins of cholera and clear links were made to weather conditions which was ultimately to lead to the pandemic. Of particular interest to me in the light of Covid 19 is the failure to quarantine Sunderland as that is where the epidemic of 1832 began in Britain and from then on ‘King Cholera’ reigned for the next 30 years. The cures used were an intriguing snapshot of beliefs at the time which vary greatly from physician to physician. However, they all seemed to place great store in the efficacy of brandy!! If in doubt, prescribe that!!! King Cholera was particularly devastating to the poor although by no means exclusively. The move from country to town following industrialisation led to terrible quality housing where cholera rampaged with devastating consequences. Particularly moving were the chapters on pauper children, in particular the workhouse in Tooting which is just heartbreaking and was the inspiration for Charles Dickens Oliver Twist.
The chapters looking at the ideas on the causes of disease were also very interesting as by this time many believed in the idea of miasma or poisonous air and this belief accelerated the spread. John Snow and Dr William Budd in Bristol herald a new dawn in observational science and the growing belief in causation by an organism and I thought the sections on Snow in particular were especially interesting.
The author makes it clear that the cholera epidemics did lead to change in Britain albeit somewhat reluctantly. It led to the beginnings of investment in public health and engineering works to provide clean water, efficient drainage and so on however poor quality housing wasn’t dealt with until the following century. Because of the new legislation Britain never had another bad outbreak of cholera after 1866 as any outbreak was confined and contained. However, it still devastates regions of the world and I was shocked that it still causes over 200.000 deaths annually.
Overall, a very interesting book full of fascinating detail which shows how epidemics and pandemics can lead to change.
by Georgi Lvs Books
2.5 stars.
I am a lover of non-fiction and I love anything to do with the Victorian era, so could not resist requesting an ARC from NetGalley.
This was an okay read… interesting in parts. Personally, a lot of the time I just felt underwhelmed.
If you like to read about history this is a good choice for you.
by John P. Hindley
A well researched book. nearly correct on all counts