John Snow

author

John Snow

1813–1858

A pioneering British physician, he helped change how the world understands disease by tracing a deadly cholera outbreak to a contaminated water pump. He is also remembered for making anesthesia safer and more systematic in its early days.

3 Audiobooks

On the mode of communication of cholera

On the mode of communication of cholera

by John Snow

On chloroform and other anæsthetics: their action and administration

On chloroform and other anæsthetics: their action and administration

by John Snow

Cholera and the Water Supply in the South Districts of London in 1854

Cholera and the Water Supply in the South Districts of London in 1854

by John Snow

About the author

Born in York, England, in 1813, John Snow trained as a physician and became known for careful, practical thinking. He worked in London during a time when cholera outbreaks were devastating cities, and he questioned the common belief that the disease spread mainly through bad air.

Snow is best known for his investigation of the 1854 cholera outbreak in Soho. By closely studying where people fell ill, he connected many cases to the Broad Street water pump, an approach that later made him a central figure in the history of epidemiology and public health.

He also made major contributions to anesthesiology, studying the safe use of ether and chloroform and giving anesthetics in an era when the field was still new. Snow died in 1858, but his work continues to be celebrated for its clarity, evidence, and lasting influence on modern medicine.