Reflection Paper #2 The Ghost Map The Story of London\'s Most Terrifying Epidemic - and How it Changed Science, Cities and the Modern World PDF

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Reflection Paper #2 The Ghost Map The Story of London's Most Terrifying Epidemic - and How it Changed Science, Cities and the Modern World

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12/5/2020 Reflection Paper #1 The Ghost Map: The Story of London's Most Terrifying Epidemic - and How it Changed Science, Cities and the Modern World. The writer’s main objective for writing The  Ghost Map: The Story of London's Most Terrifying Epidemic - and How it Changed Science, Cities, and the Modern World was to discuss the urbanization that was happening in London, and how progressive their society has become. The Ghost Map f ocuses on the urbanization that has occurred within the city (Johnson, 2008). Around the 19th century, at the peak of the Industrial Revolution, there had been a spike of Europeans settling in large cities such as London (Johnson, 2008). And as a result of this, land laws began to shift, and overall the community’s way of living began to shift in order to cater to the growing population. Throughout the 19th century, the population of London increased to millions of dwellers, resulting in it being dubbed as the largest city in European history up to that date. London’s government did not have any prior practice in handling a large population. With no efficient way of unloading waste, as well as no dependable transportation system in effect, a great epidemic barraged the city (Johnson, 2008). In my impression, this book has been assigned for this public health course as it covers the cholera epidemic in Europe. Not only does this book cover the cholera epidemic, but also the methods of how it had been treated and how it was tracked. The narrative also reflects how the citizens had reacted to the outbreak. One of the more vital people that was introduced was John Snow. His waterborne theory of cholera and his enthusiasm to operate research to determine what really caused the disease reflects the steps and ideas of epidemiology (Johnson, 2008). Snow’s model of the scientific process had inspired other scientists to take after his example and demonstrated that science is the most efficient tool to use in a crisis, such as the cholera epidemic.

The information that I found the most interesting was that the cholera epidemic had resulted in prejudices throughout the city. Although it is quite ridiculous to think that a disease would actively think about who to kill, that was the idea that had spread throughout the social classes, more specifically the higher class (Johnson,  2008). In reality, cholera kills indiscriminately. It is a disease (like any other disease and natural cause of death) that is leveled in any sort of aspect (people of different races, genders, or social classes). All of these factors do not matter, as anyone can die from the disease. However, due to the disheveled conditions of London, the working classes were more likely than not to contract cholera and die, relatively to upper-class Londoners as they had the advantage of not having to dwell in disgusting conditions. They had also lived in more spread out neighborhoods where diseases spread at a much slower rate, had access to cleaner water, and received better medical attention (Johnson, 2008). All in all, the aristocrats were just in better living conditions which rendered them have a lesser chance of contracting cholera, however, this does not mean that they do not have the possibility of getting cholera. Thus, as a sort of slippery slope reasoning, there were many who were willing to believe that London’s working-classes had somehow earned their deaths, as ridiculous it sounds. Another interesting concept was how Johnson portrayed how class prejudices served a vital psychological purpose for 19th century London’s elite. The animosity reflected all Londoners’ fear of cholera. It was essentially a coping mechanism for the elite: by accusing the working classes of weakness, the upper classes guaranteed themselves that they would survive any upcoming outbreak. It was a mental invisibility cloak for the aristocrats. But class discrimination didn’t just help London’s elites cope with anxiety; it also helped them reason their own apathy to others’ suffering. So to say, by blaming others, crediting cholera victims’ deaths to unforgivable behavior, the rich and powerful had deluded themselves that they were morally

justified in doing nothing to help their social “inferiors”. Essentially, so long as they do not interact with those that were infected and so long as they keep in their own lane, they won’t spread the disease, nor will they be doing “sinful” acts. Many elites were content to fall back on class bigotry as a means of convincing themselves and justifying their own indifference (Johnson, 2008). In my opinion, the most surprising thing that was revealed was that the fears had seeped into the scientific community. Some of the most popular scientific theories about cholera reflected class animosity. A great example of this reflection is the miasma theory, which depended upon the notion that some people’s will to live or their morals were uncertain than others  (Johnson, 2008). Johnson argues that aspects of miasma theory, including some of the fair-minded scientists who created it, believed that miasma defended the class prejudice. For example, the poor contracted cholera more often than the wealthy because the poor were “weaker” than the wealthy. It is important to know that most of the class descrimination in 19th-century science and most prejudice, in general, was unconscious. They had given full trust in their way of thinking that they believed that it was the truth. Furthermore, other information that I found remarkable was how the people of Victorian London reacted to the threat of illness. As any rational person would, the most common response to the threat of cholera was to be terrified. However, some well off philanthropists treated the cholera epidemics as a golden key to rebuilding the city of London, which resulted in engineering the modern discipline of urban planning in the process. In the spectrum of roles within a society, Holy figures, such as Henry Whitehead, believed that the epidemic represented God’s test of humanity’s faith. I remember when the COVID-19 outbreak first broke out, many feared that it could be a sign of the rapture or the beginning of the end. On the other side of the

spectrum, scientists, such as John Snow, in hopes that they would be able to predict and fight the disease’s effects on human beings, tried to understand the disease through research and experimentation. Finally, many Victorians responded with pure hatred. From animosity, blaming the victims, and suggesting that women, immigrants, or the poor were the most susceptible hosts to cholera (Johnson, 2008). The overall reaction of the people is very similar to any other outbreak that has occurred and is currently happening. When AIDS had spread, many connected it to homosexuals. All of a sudden being gay was seen as a mental illness and that you could contract this deadly disease if you were gay. When COVID-19 erupted, many blamed Asians, and so there was a spike in xenophobia. I believe that various responses to the cholera epidemics, along with the other epidemics that I have listed, suggest that it’s human nature to attempt to understand the unknown. In alarming moments, people will try to rationalize, which in a sense, trying to tame it with knowledge (however absurd the reasoning maybe). John Snow’s scientific approach to epidemiology was very different from the hatred with which other Victorians faced cholera. However, both responses do represent attempts to understand and rationalize mysterious phenomena. After reading T  he Ghost Map: The Story of London's Most Terrifying Epidemic - and How it Changed Science, Cities and the Modern World, m  y perception of the world has slightly changed. The slight change of outward look was from the perspective of being more understanding of the views of those that oppose health guidelines. With today’s pandemic, COVID-19, there are some that still do not follow the CDC guidelines, which to me is quite baffling as those guidelines are there to protect you and others from contracting the virus. The cholera outbreak in London is quite comparable to our current situation. There are those who feel entitled and those that are simply following the rules to be healthy. I wonder if those that chose

not to wear their mask have the same way of thinking as those aristocrats that had blamed cholera on the poor and working-class.

References Johnson, S. (2008). The ghost map: The story of London's most terrifying epidemic--and how it changed science, cities, and the modern world . London: Penguin....