John Snow (1813–1858) was a British physician who is considered one of the founders of modern epidemiology, thanks to his pioneering work during the 1854 cholera outbreak in London. Unlike many of his contemporaries who believed in the miasma theory of disease, Snow theorized that cholera was spread through contaminated water. He identified a public water pump on Broad Street as the outbreak’s epicenter through meticulous investigation, including a detailed study of the distribution of cholera cases in London’s Soho district. Snow’s analysis of cholera’s spread and his subsequent removal of the pump handle significantly reduced the incidence of the disease in the area, providing compelling evidence that cholera was waterborne. Despite initial resistance from the scientific community, his work eventually led to major changes in the water and waste systems of London and other cities, greatly improving public health. John Snow’s methodical approach to solving a public health crisis marks a seminal moment in the application of epidemiology.

John Snow Quotes

1. “Winter is coming, we know what’s coming with it. We can learn to live with the wildlings, or we can add them to the army of the dead.”
— Jon Snow

2. “I want to fight for the side that fights for the living. Did I come to the right place?”
— Jon Snow

3. “But if that’s not enough, then consider this: if the Night’s Watch are truly brothers, then Lord Commander Mormont was our father. He lived and died for the Watch and he was betrayed by his own men, stabbed in the back by cowards. He deserved far better.”
— Jon Snow

4. “At Halloween a lot of young people were wearing Bush masks mocked up as an incarnation of the Devil.”
— Jon Snow

5. “The more you give a king, the more he wants. We are walking on a bridge of ice with an abyss on either side. Pleasing one king is difficult enough. Pleasing two is hardly possible.”
— Jon Snow

6. “The only way to do my job without optimism would be as a cynic, and that’s not my nature.”
— Jon Snow

7. “Presentationally, Bill Clinton is a US President to die for. The truth is, far too many have.”
— Jon Snow

8. “My whole day is built around meetings that can be achieved around bike rides. My contract actually offers me a free car from my home to my office and back, but I suppose I am addicted to cycling.”
— Jon Snow