New York City Cholera Outbreak of 1866

Introduction
 Up until the 1866 Cholera outbreak in New York City, the common theory of how this disease was spread was believed to be a result of God’s choices. This threatening epidemic that was traveling quickly through the streets of New York demanded attention, which in turn caused new findings surrounding the germ theory of disease to be put to the test. Research conducted by John Snow in London in the 1850’s offered solid evidence as to how the disease was really spread, and how it could be eradicated. Due to the growth of investment in scientific research in the mid-nineteenth century, specifically noting John Snow’s findings surrounding Cholera, the working class in New York City experienced a popular shift from the belief in Catholicism to trusting the potential of scientific evidence.

Background
 Cholera outbreaks occurred in the United States throughout the nineteenth century, the most notable ones being in 1832, 1849, and 1866. Specifically, the 1866 outbreak in New York City marked a time in history when scientific advancements prevailed regarding disease prevention. The most significant scientific advancement at the time was finding the root cause of the disease. Although this one discovery appears to be obvious according to modern-day knowledge, the cause of this disease was still very much a mystery during the outbreak that struck the overcrowded streets of New York City in 1866. During this time, “…three-quarters of New York’s streets lacked sewers” and “there were no ordinances or laws regulating overcrowding in residences” [1]. A typical living situation for a member of the working class included a small apartment shared by around six people, one bathroom at the end of the hallway shared by around fifteen people, one source of water down the street, and leaking sewage pipes that caused an overwhelming awful smell to always loom in the air. Even when they wanted to bathe and rid themselves of the filth from the city, they were unknowingly making themselves dirtier by “washing” with contaminated water. This caused a deadly cycle of filth within the city, and because of the lack of recognition surrounding this issue, no one was doing anything about it. Essentially, the working class’ living situation served as a transmission hot zone for bacteria and other diseases.ppppp

 Everyone was aware of the fact that Cholera needed to be eradicated, but it was not until the 1850s when people started to question the health effects of the poor water and sewage systems in the streets of large cities. The popular understanding of Cholera up until Snow’s discovery in 1855 was that the epidemic was a mere “act of God”, and God believed that the poor working classes deserved to suffer the most severely [2] .undefined

 John Snow pioneered the scientific advancements that occurred in the mid-nineteenth century, including the discovery of how Cholera is transmitted and proposed ideas for how to prevent future outbreaks. His findings, although fairly simple, revolutionized how people thought about sanitation and disease prevention. He is considered a hero to all major cities affected by the Cholera epidemic after 1855, and his findings alone saved thousands of people.

 When analyzing a disaster such as the Cholera epidemic, it is important to understand the actual illness. By definition, Cholera is an infection in the small intestine that is caused by bacteria. The most common form of transmission is through contaminated water, and the general symptoms include: vomiting, diarrhea, and dehydration. This information, of course, was not known when Cholera returned to the United States in the 1860s, but John Snow’s findings sparked the later years of research that ultimately led to this knowledge.





The Event
 It is beneficial to look specifically at the working class section of the population because these people suffered the worst consequences of Cholera as a result of their inferior public facilities compared to those of the upper classes [3]. During this time, the dominant religion was Catholicism, which focuses heavily on God’s power and influence over nature’s ability. The members of the working class, therefore, had an easy time associating the Cholera outbreak with God’s reasoning. The wealthier classes chose to publicize that the outbreak hit the working class the hardest because they were poor and deserved to die, while others looked past the actual reasoning behind God’s decision and chose merely to pray. Either way, no one was making a concrete effort to solve the problem at hand. This social ideology at the time is what caused the delay of actions taken to defeat the threats of Cholera.

 On top of this, the working class’ unsanitary living conditions and inevitable exposure to the Cholera epidemic also caused these poor families to be constantly searching for a solution. The apartment buildings were almost always overcrowded, and an entire hall of twenty people would typically share one bathroom. The mass amount of people forced to live in such a small space were unknowingly living inside a trap of diseases. There was usually no where else for the working class to live because of high expenses, which meant that even if they were aware of the high risk of catching a deadly illness, they could not do anything except pray for the best outcome. Anyone infected would continue to show symptoms of Cholera such as vomiting and diarrhea, which contributed to an endless circulation of contaminated water throughout neighboring areas due to the limited resources [4].

 Finally, the working class’ prayers began to be answered, but not at God’s expense. Notices were posted around New York City informing everyone of the cause of their illness: the water pumps. This information came from John Snow’s On The Mode of Communication of Cholera, which was published in 1855 [5]. Although this knowledge was released a whole decade before the outbreak in New York City, it did not reach the United States until it was absolutely necessary. The outbreak in 1866 still killed around 50,000 Americans, but thousands of Cholera cases were prevented when sanitation was actually seen as something of value and importance. Shortly after Snow’s research became widespread throughout New York City, the Metropolitan Board of Health began to regulate the purification of water running through every pipe system throughout the city. In addition, an entire new sewage plan was created to ensure there would be no cross-contamination between drinking pipelines and waste pipelines. While the decade is still known as a time of suffering for the working class in New York City, the 1860’s revolutionized the modern understanding of infectious disease through the use of Snow’s research as a solution to the Cholera epidemic.

Jesus (photo taken in 1912)
 See also 

    Cholera outbreak of 1832     Cholera Outbreak of 1849      John Snow</li>     Fun Magazine</li>

    Broad Street Water Pump</li>     Cholera (disease)</li>     Germ Theory of Disease<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0level1lfo1">

<h2 class="MsoNormal">    References <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Cambria;mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"ＭＳ明朝";mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language: EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SA">[1] Weinberg, Meyer. "Standards of Living Under Capitalism, 1790-1865." In A Short History of American Capitalism. S.l.: New History Press, 2003.

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Cambria;mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"ＭＳ明朝";mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language: EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SA">[2] Dubofsky, Melvyn. "Workers, Industry, and Society, 1865-1920." In Industrialism and the American Worker, 1865-1920. Arlington Heights, Ill.: AHM Pub. Corp., 1975. 1-28. Freeman, Joshua B. "Adequate Medical Care." In Working-Class New York. New York:

<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:200%">The New Press, 2000. 124-142. <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Cambria;mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"ＭＳ明朝";mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language: EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SA">[3] Weinberg, Meyer. "Standards of Living Under Capitalism, 1790-1865." In A Short History of American Capitalism. S.l.: New History Press, 2003. <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Cambria;mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"ＭＳ明朝";mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language: EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SA">[4] Rosenberg, Charles E. The Cholera Years; The United States in 1832, 1849, and 1866. Chicago: Univ. of Chicago Press, 1962.

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Cambria;mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"ＭＳ明朝";mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language: EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SA">[5] Pyle, G. F. "The Diffusion Of Cholera In The United States In The Nineteenth Century." Geographical Analysis, 2010, 59-75.

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Cambria;mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"ＭＳ明朝";mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language: EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SA">[6] "Fun 1866." Bodleian Library

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Cambria;mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"ＭＳ明朝";mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language: EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SA">[7] Pinwell, George. Death’s Dispensary. 1866. Drawing. Fun Magazine, London.

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Cambria;mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"ＭＳ明朝";mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language: EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SA">[8] Fun 1866." Bodleian Library

<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Cambria;mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"ＭＳ明朝";mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language: EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SA">[9] Pinwell, George. Death’s Dispensary. 1866. Drawing. Fun Magazine, London. <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Cambria;mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"ＭＳ明朝";mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language: EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SA">[10] Snow, John, and M.D. Rare Book Collection of Rush University Medical Center at the University of Chicago Friedberg. On the Mode of Communication of Cholera. 2d ed. London: John Churchill, 1855.

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