A review by kniferoomba
The Ghost Map: The Story of London's Most Terrifying Epidemic--And How It Changed Science, Cities, and the Modern World by Steven Johnson

informative medium-paced

4.0

This book provides an accessible yet thorough look at the events of the London cholera epidemics, with good insights into the minds of scientists and laypeople alike regarding the rationale behind the miasma conception of illness. I did feel that once the author stepped outside of insights regarding the direct impact of cholera and the discovery of waterborne disease transmission, and into conjecture around the future of urbanization, he left the appropriate scope of this book behind. However, the majority of the work was focused and enlightening on the topics presented.