John Snow

Profession: Physician and Father of Modern Epidemiology

Nationality:

Biography: John Snow was an English physician best known as the father of modern epidemiology. He was involved in tracing the 1854 cholera outbreak in London, which led to a foundational understanding of hygiene and disease.

Snow was also an early anesthetician, with his work initially focused on ether and chloroform. At the time surgeries were perhaps without anesthetic, and Snow's work was groundbreaking in overturning this state of affairs.

Outside of his intellectual interests, Snow was a vegetarian and teetotaller. He was a member of the temperance movement, which promoted the responsible drinking of alcohol in English-speaking nations.

Born: March 15, 1813
Birthplace: York, England, United Kingdom
Star Sign: Pisces

Died: June 16, 1858 (aged 45)
Cause of Death: Stroke

Articles and Photos

John Snow, Cholera and the Battle for Broad Street
In 1854, John Snow made his name as the father of modern epidemiology in response to the Broad Street cholera outbreak. He traced the outbreak and helped to establish the germ theory of disease.
August 31, 1854

Historical Events

1853-04-07 Queen Victoria asks John Snow to administer chloroform during the delivery of her eighth child, Leopold, leads to wider acceptance of obstetrical anesthesia
1854-08-31 Major outbreak of cholera occurs in Soho, London; Physician John Snow goes on to call it "the most terrible outbreak of cholera which ever occurred in this kingdom."

John Snow, Cholera and the Battle for Broad Street