Cholera and Dr. John Snow - London, England. 1854/55

Catherine Thurston, my heroine in A Very Difficult Man, is determined to keep her unfortunate position as a companion to Lord Glenmore. But he is just as determined to get rid of Catherine.

What is she to do after he threw one book at her and a second that thudded against the door as she escaped from the monster? Catherine opened the door a crack and sat outside in the hallway to converse with him about current events. You can find this scene in the e-book format of my book on page ten.

"There is cholera in London," she ventured. The year is 1855

At the time, 1855, Catherine was unaware of the detective work of Dr. John Snow who did not agree with popular opinion that cholera was caused from breathing foul air. The year is 1854. Germ theory was not widely accepted at the time but Dr. Snow believe cholera was a water borne illness and set out to prove it. A cluster of cases in and around the Soho area confirmed his suspician. People were drawing their water from a Broad Street well. Dr. Snow drew a map illustrating how cases of cholera were centered in the area around the pump.

Further investigation showed the well had been dug only three feet from an old cesspit that had begun to leak fecal material. He persuaded the local council to remove the pump handle and cholera cases in the area dwindled and eventually ceased. But the River Thames was also polluted with sewage and a source of cholera.

So how did Catherine get on with the monster? He dismissed her news-of-the-day comments and ordered her to talk about herself which she refused. Want to read more? My book is available at www.Cerridwenpress.com. Click on historical romance. Click on my cover and off you go to the check out. I know there's a shortcut to make the ordering easy. I have to learn the trick so you can enjoy the story of Catherine and Lord Glenmore

Anita
www.anitabirt.com