Steven Johnson. The Ghost Map: A Street, an Epidemic and the Hidden Power of Urban Networks

Riverhead Book, 2007. — 336 p. — ISBN 978-1594482694, 1594482691.A National Bestseller, a New York Times Notable Book, and an Entertainment Weekly Best Book of the Year.From the bestselling author Steven Johnson's «The Ghost Map» vividly recreates Victorian London to show how huge populations live together, how cities can kill - and how they can save us.
Steven Johnson is one of today's most exciting writers about popular culture, urban living and new technology. In «The Ghost Map» he tells the story of the terrifying cholera epidemic that engulfed London in 1854, and the two unlikely heroes - anesthetist Doctor John Snow and affable clergyman Reverend Henry Whitehead - who defeated the disease through a combination of local knowledge, scientific research and map-making.
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.
In telling their extraordinary story, Steven Johnson also explores a whole world of ideas and connections, from urban terror to microbes, ecosystems to the Great Stink, cultural phenomena to street life.Preface.
Monday, August 28.
The night-soil men.
Saturday, September 2.
Eyes sunk, lips dark blue.
Sunday, September 3.
The investigator.
Monday, September 4.
That is to say, jo has not yet died.
Tuesday, September 5.
All smell is disease.
Wednesday, September 6.
Building the case.
Friday, September 8.
The pump handle.
Conclusion.
The ghost map.
Epilogue.
Broad street revisited.
Author’s Note.
Acknowledgments.
Appendix: Notes on Further Reading.
Note.