Teachers' Domain; John Snow: Pioneer of Epidemiology
- Series
- Teachers' Domain
- Producing Organization
- WGBH Educational Foundation
- Contributing Organization
- WGBH (Boston, Massachusetts)
- AAPB ID
- cpb-aacip/15-db7vm43162
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- Description
- Description
- The key tactics of epidemiology—surveillance and response—were first used by Dr. John Snow during a cholera outbreak in 1850s London, as dramatized in this video segment adapted from Rx for Survival.
- Description
- What is the cause of cholera?What did John Snow suspect was responsible for spreading the disease? How did Snow go about proving his suspicion?What does the video identify as the "basic tenets of public health"?Can you think of another example of a disease carried by water? What methods can prevent the transmission of waterborne diseases?
- Description
- In this video segment adapted from Rx for Survival, actors portray how John Snow, a London physician, traced a major outbreak of cholera in the 1850s to its source. Using logic, statistics, and mapping, Snow rejected the idea that cholera was carried in a cloud of bad air. Instead, he believed contaminated water was responsible for spreading the disease among the local population. Snow’s surveillance and response tactics would become a foundation of modern epidemiology—the science of public health that is built on a working knowledge of probability, statistics, and sound research methods.
- Subjects
- engineering and technology :: general :: environmental impact; research :: earth system :: tools :: environment; research :: science and society :: scientific knowledge; research :: science and society :: history; research :: scientific method :: measurements; humans :: health :: infection by viruses or bacteria; humans :: health :: environmental effects; research :: life science :: scientific method :: hypothesis; research :: life science :: scientific method :: procedure; research :: life science :: scientific method :: conclusion; research :: life science :: scientific knowledge; research :: life science :: tools; research :: life science :: models; populations and ecosystems :: water systems; Detection of Infectious Disease; research :: life science :: history
- Rights
- Rights Note:Download and Share,Rights:,Rights Credit:© 2010, 2005 WGBH Educational Foundation. All Rights Reserved.,Rights Type:All,Rights Coverage:,Rights Holder:
- Rights Note:Download and Share,Rights:,Rights Credit:Adapted from Rx for Survival -- A Global Health Challenge: "How Safe Are We?". Rx for Survival -- A Global Health Challenge is a Co-Production of the WGBH/NOVA Science Unit and Vulcan Productions, Inc. Dramatic sequences produced by Dangerous Films, Ltd.,Rights Type:All,Rights Coverage:,Rights Holder:
- Media type
- Moving Image
- Duration
- 00:00:00
- Credits
-
-
Producing Organization: WGBH Educational Foundation
Publisher: Teachers' Domain
- AAPB Contributor Holdings
-
WGBH
Identifier: 42d22449c3a4f381beeb2eea8d0359b7482c61c3 (ArtesiaDAM UOI_ID)
Format: video/quicktime
Duration: 00:00:00
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- Citations
- Chicago: “Teachers' Domain; John Snow: Pioneer of Epidemiology,” WGBH, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC, accessed June 13, 2025, http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-15-db7vm43162.
- MLA: “Teachers' Domain; John Snow: Pioneer of Epidemiology.” WGBH, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC. Web. June 13, 2025. <http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-15-db7vm43162>.
- APA: Teachers' Domain; John Snow: Pioneer of Epidemiology. Boston, MA: WGBH, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC. Retrieved from http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-15-db7vm43162