How Dr. John Snow Solved the Mystery of Cholera
A TRUE TALE WITH
A CHERRY ON TOP
Knopf Books for Young Readers
(pub. 8.13.2024)
40 pages
Ages 4-8
Author: Deborah Hopkinson
Illustrator: Nik Henderson
Character: Dr. John Snow
Overview:
" Dr. John Snow is one of the most influential doctors and researchers in Western medicine, but before he rose to fame, he was just a simple community doctor who wanted to solve a mystery.
In 19th century London, the spread of cholera was as unstoppable as it was deadly. Dr. Snow was determined to stop it, but he had a problem: His best theory of how the disease was spread flew in the face of popular opinion. He needed evidence, and he needed to find it fast, before more lives were lost.
Taking on the role of detective as well as doctor, Dr. Snow knocked on doors, asked questions and mapped out the data he'd collected. What he discovered would come to define the way we think about public health to this day."
Tantalizing taste:
"Here's Dr. John Snow now, on Sunday evening. He looks like a gentleman, but he grew up poor, the oldest of nine children. John hasn't forgotten that. He's been a doctor to the queen, but he cares about science and regular people, not riches. He often gives his services for free to those in need.
Tonight, John's not here to see a patient. He's on the hunt for clues. Because John is a detective: a medical detective."
And something more: The backmatter of the book explains that: "Evidence! is a true story that marks a key date in public health history: September 8, 1854, when the handle came off the Broad Street pump in London, England. A few months later, Dr. John Snow published a book about his investigation that included a map showing the pattern of the epidemic. This map has inspired scientists ever since.… Each year, the John Snow Society invites a leading scientist to give a lecture on public health. The event is called the Pumphandle Lecture."
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