Was Whitechapel really any worse than other areas of London?

[MrBarnett]

Miss M.,

Are you familiar with the work of the photographer Clive Boursnell?

https://www.coventgarden.london/whats-on/documentary-clive-boursnell

Gary

[miss marple]

Yes

Miss Marple

[DrummondStreet]

Thanks for all of the Covent Garden history, Miss Marple. It's such a relief that the beautiful old market was saved from demolition. And it sounds like your great grandmother had an exciting life.

What did you sell in your stall? I remember often visiting the market stalls years ago when I was on a 'work exchange' program (BUNAC) and living in London. I miss that place a lot --it was so vibrant.

[miss marple]

Drummond St,

I have sold many different things over the years, at the moment I am in to victorian photos and euphemera. London antique markets are being destroyed by big business. Camden passage is a shadow of itself,lost shops to chains. Spitalfields has lost a hundred and fifty stalls to food. Portobello is full of Chinese junk. Bermondsey is sterilised, and rebuilt. Monday Covent Garden flea is ok but too much jewellery.

miss marple

[APerno]

And the Cholera epidemics that decimated the London population in the early 19th century. The last one was 1854. They thought cholera was caused by a 'miasma' bad air, Dr John Snow in Soho discovered the connection between infected water and cholera in the 1850s in an infected water pump.

Miss Marple,

Just wanted to throw in my two cents and along with Dr. Snow give William Farr (maybe the world's first "human geographer") and the Lambert Water Company their due in solving/preventing the cholera epidemics.

There is also a touch of irony in that along with the bad smell theory there were those who thought 'poverty' gave you cholera and it was poverty stricken Bethnal Green (who, as it happened, were getting their water from the Lambert Company) that caught Snow and Farr's attention. It was Bethnal Green's location, high-up and away from the River Thames, with a surprisingly low death rate that made the two men begin to rethink their approach to the problem; made them think, 'maybe it's in the water,' -- and then of course came that infamous water pump you mentioned.

Anthony

[DJA]

The Bethnal Green outbreak started in June 1866 claiming 5,596 lives.

As mentioned a while back,Henry Sutton was aware the disease was centered in the intestines.

Here is his mikerscope.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Compound_microscope,_London,_England,_1863-1866_Wellcome_L0057298.jpg

Openshaw took over the pathology collection of the London Hospital from Sutton and founded the hospital's Freemason Lodge.