Although cholera had been endemic to the Ganges delta for thousands of years, it was the globalisation of the early nineteenth century that caused its spread across the world into pandemic proportions. Triggering severe diarrhoea, it causes serious dehydration, and children are especially vulnerable. The first of the century's pandemic never really reached Britain, but by 1866 it had already hit the country twice in the past three decades. It resulted in approximately 6000 deaths, and although this was far less than in previous epidemics, it was now that the government was finally spurred to act, in part because of the actions of Dr John Snow, who in 1854 had identified the source of a particular local outbreak to its pump, which was supplying the inhabitants of Soho contaminated water.…
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Citation: Editors, Litencyc. "Fourth cholera epidemic - Sanitary Act passed". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 30 August 2013 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=2053, accessed 19 April 2024.]
