Being a Detective
In this exploration, students plot data on a London map to correspond to the deaths in 1854 Soho. Using
the data and a detailed map, students then deduce the location of the source of the disease.
Materials Required
• Soho map with coordinates (pdf file: APPENDIX A-BLANK MAP.PDF)
• Data set of deaths with coordinates (pdf file: CHART PLOTS.XLS )
Procedure
1. Read the story of the cholera outbreak in 1854 London. Describe the disease symptoms and deadly nature of the infection.
2. Use the map of Soho and data coordinates for each death reported in 1854. Snow collected these data and he carefully mapped each cholera death. Use the map and data set ( CHART PLOTS.XL ). Make a dot or colored bar on the map in each location noted in the data.
3. When all the data is completed, carefully study the map try to determine the source of the disease. Consider the water sources (They are marked "pumps" on the map).
4. When a suspected source is selected, remind the student that this makes them an epidemiologist--”those that study the health and illness of populations and serve to make necessary interventions to prevent the spread of disease.”
Discussion
Epidemiology and microbiology (the study of microscopic organisms) and bacteriology (the study of bacteria, one particular kind of microorganism) share a common suffix. Using these three words, students can infer the meaning of the suffix “-ology” and create a chart collecting many words using this suffix. They can build their vocabulary for understanding “the study of” many fields.
More about John Snow can be found at http://www.ph.ucla.edu/epi/snow.html
The map of Soho can be downloaded here: APPENDIX A-BLANK MAP.PDF
And, the data to plot the incidents of cholera is found here: CHART PLOTS.XLS