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Mapping deadly epidemics and contagion from the plague to the zika virus.
The story of how deadly diseases invaded our world makes fascinating reading. From the moment that scourges such as plague, smallpox and syphilis first struck at human populations, the unfolding narrative would encompass so much more than medicine and science. For in tracking the paths of epidemics over the centuries, we can draw clear parallels with the story of our own progress, from when we first began living together in settlements and herding animals, through the growing interaction between different nations and civilisations, to the mass movements of people in the name of trade, exploration and conquest. And we also see the terrible conse­quences of epidemics at particular times and in particular places, not only in terms of individual suffering, but also in their social and economic effects, particularly on some of the most deprived groups of people. Since the mid­nineteenth century, maps have played a vital role in helping us to unravel the mysteries of how diseases spread. The experts have used them to work out how best to prevent, or at least to contain, future outbreaks. One of the first and best­known examples of diseasemapping was the work of the physician Dr John Snow during a virulent outbreak of cholera in London’s Soho in 1854. Around 600 people died, 200 of them during the course of one night. At that time no one understood how cholera was transmitted, which meant that doctors could not begin to fathom how to stop it. No other disease behaved like cholera, and the medical profession had been baffled for centuries by the way that it struck apparently at random and killed hundreds or even thousands of people within days. Cholera is the human species’ fastest killer disease and in the 1800s millions died in a series of cholera pan­demics that swept the globe