The Ghost Map
The Story of London's Most Terrifying Epidemic--and How It Changed Science, Cities, and the Modern World
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4.0 • 149 Ratings
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- $4.99
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- $4.99
Publisher Description
A National Bestseller, a New York Times Notable Book, and an Entertainment Weekly Best Book of the Year from the author of Extra Life
“By turns a medical thriller, detective story, and paean to city life, Johnson's account of the outbreak and its modern implications is a true page-turner.” —The Washington Post
“Thought-provoking.” —Entertainment Weekly
It's the summer of 1854, and London is just emerging as one of the first modern cities in the world. But lacking the infrastructure-garbage removal, clean water, sewers-necessary to support its rapidly expanding population, the city has become the perfect breeding ground for a terrifying disease no one knows how to cure. As the cholera outbreak takes hold, a physician and a local curate are spurred to action-and ultimately solve the most pressing medical riddle of their time.
In a triumph of multidisciplinary thinking, Johnson illuminates the intertwined histories of the spread of disease, the rise of cities, and the nature of scientific inquiry, offering both a riveting history and a powerful explanation of how it has shaped the world we live in.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
On August 28, 1854, working-class Londoner Sarah Lewis tossed a bucket of soiled water into the cesspool of her squalid apartment building and triggered the deadliest outbreak of cholera in the city's history. In this tightly written page-turner, Johnson (Everything Bad Is Good for You) uses his considerable skill to craft a story of suffering, perseverance and redemption that echoes to the present day. Describing a city and culture experiencing explosive growth, with its attendant promise and difficulty, Johnson builds the story around physician John Snow. In the face of a horrifying epidemic, Snow (pioneering developer of surgical anesthesia) posited the then radical theory that cholera was spread through contaminated water rather than through miasma, or smells in the air. Against considerable resistance from the medical and bureaucratic establishment, Snow persisted and, with hard work and groundbreaking research, helped to bring about a fundamental change in our understanding of disease and its spread. Johnson weaves in overlapping ideas about the growth of civilization, the organization of cities, and evolution to thrilling effect. From Snow's discovery of patient zero to Johnson's compelling argument for and celebration of cities, this makes for an illuminating and satisfying read. B&w illus.
Customer Reviews
1st part (about the 19th century) is interesting
I liked the first part of the book where it talks about the history of 1854 cholera epidemic, it really helps understand the situation in medicine and sanitation in England at that time. Very informative.
The 2nd part, where the author talks about the situation in modern cities, and especially at the end where he touches upon COVID, contains a few thoughts I very much disagree with… But still glad I read this book.
Great writing skills
Wow, to have a non-science brain as mine to be eager to turn the next page. WOW. Got sucked in this , who done it, then realize it’s about science. Too late. Had me until the end.
Didn't mean to buy
Okay. I was actually trying to buy the audiobook, as I already have a hard copy. Any way I can get a refund?