CHOLERA - Bacteria from the fecal matter in the water infected people who drank it - Vibrio Cholerae (the scientific name for cholera) is a bacterium in contaminated water that causes a flushing of the intestines - cholera victims died from dehydration from loss of fluids. Cholera wasn't like other communicable diseases. Doctors who treated cholera patients would often never contract it themselves, despite all the physical contact and shared breathing space. Because the River Thames was so polluted, John Snow also discovered that those who drank from wells south of the river were roughly 2x more likely to die from cholera. Factories of the Industrial Revolution Era were known for their poor sanitation conditions, and many of London's factories dumped their waste into the river. John Snow then conducted a study in a poor neighborhood heavily plagued by cholera. As it turns out, those who avoided cholera unintentionally did something different than everyone else. For whatever reason, they did not drink the water. Those who drank the water got sick. The water seemed to be the key. Snow realized a difference between houses in the same neighborhood that lived with the same "bad air." The Surrey apartment building lost twelve of its residents to cholera. Only one person died in the house behind the Surrey building. They also received water from a different well.

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Cholera

Getting to the Truth

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Bacteria from the fecal matter in the water infected people who drank it - Vibrio Cholerae (the scientific name for cholera) is a bacterium in contaminated water that causes a flushing of the intestines - cholera victims died from dehydration from loss of fluids.

Catherine Hunley

Where does disease come from?

a) germs
b) sneezing or coughing
c) inside our bodies
d) bad food or water

Cholera wasn't like other communicable diseases. Doctors who treated cholera patients would often never contract it themselves, despite all the physical contact and shared breathing space.

Because the River Thames was so polluted, Snow also discovered that those who drank from wells south of the river were roughly 2x more likely to die from cholera.

Factories of the Industrial Revolution Era were known for their poor sanitation conditions, and many of London's factories dumped their waste into the river.

John Snow then conducted a study in a poor neighborhood heavily plagued by cholera.

As it turns out, those who avoided cholera unintentionally did something different than everyone else.

For whatever reason, they did not drink the water. Those who drank the water got sick.

The water seemed to be the key.

Snow realized a difference between houses in the same neighborhood that lived with the same "bad air."

The Surrey apartment building lost twelve of its residents to cholera.

Only one person died in the house behind the Surrey building. They also received water from a different well.

In the Soho district of London, the now-infamous Broad Street pump was a contaminated public well that was making people sick.

The Broad Street pump was like Smart Water or Fuji brand water - it attracted people from outside that neighborhood because of its great taste.

Unfortunately, once the water was contaminated, the popularity of this pump proved to be a problem, infecting more people than it otherwise would have.

Watch this video about the London cholera outbreak. (Right click to open in a new tab).
http://www.tubechop.com/watch/4182265

So what was in the water that was making people sick?

The Answer to the Mystery

Germs!

Bacteria from the fecal matter in the water infected people who drank it.

To be specific, Vibrio Cholerae (the scientific name for cholera) is a bacterium in contaminated water that causes a flushing of the intestines.

Cholera victims died from dehydration from loss of fluids.

NOW WHAT?

Review What You've Just Learned!

So, in answer to the original question, all four answers can be correct.

Pathogens can exist in water or in the air, but either way, they are germs that cause infectious disease.

Some bacteria are good for you though, and can actually prevent illness, so don't forget to love the helpful germs in your body!

CONCLUDING THOUGHTS

Where Does that Leave Us Now?

Although cholera is no longer problem for the United States, it remains major health threat in small, underdeveloped countries.

Cholera outbreaks occur in especially in the summer season, after natural disasters, or wars, all of which are frequent in the Middle East, Africa, and northern parts of South America.

In the case of these events, water is easily contaminated and in the warm weather, bacteria grow more abundantly.

That is why, when traveling to these countries, you may hear the phrase "Don't drink the water!"

Take bottled water with you.

When at home, it's safe to assume that your tap water will not give you cholera, but it's always good to use a filter to sort out excess particles.

Words & What They Mean

germs - general term for microorganisms, such as bacteria, viruses, fungi, and protozoa.

microorganism - living organism that is so small, you need a microscope to see it

pathogens - microorganisms that cause infectious disease

miasma - an overpowering odor that surrounds the atmosphere

heredity - characteristics passed on genetically from one generation to the next.

communicable - able to be transmitted to others; contagious

germ theory - diseases are caused by specific microorganisms within the body

cholera - a bacterial infection in the small intestine that causes severe watery diarrhea, which can lead to dehydration and death.

fecal matter - waste from a living creature, aka poop

miasma theory - a former theory that stated some diseases were caused by a poisonous vapor or 'bad air'

https://allaboutmiasma.weebly.com/getting-to-the-truth.html