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

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Ghost Map reads like a detective story. Johnson tells the story of Dr. John Snow and his unrelenting quest to challenge the dominant theory of disease in 19th Century England. Leading scientists of the time were blinded by their devotion to the theory of miasma, or the theory of airborne causes of disease. As Johnson so engagingly documents this blindness led to misguided public health policy that actually exacerbated the Cholera outbreaks that plagued 19th Century cities. Readers interested in history, science and just a well-told story will be gripped by this book. Highly recommended.