Cholera

By Jean-Noël Fabiani (author) and Philippe Bercovici (illustrator)

Cholera, caused by a bacterially produced toxin, can lead to death in a matter of days as a result of dehydration due to diarrhoea and vomiting.

IT’S COMING OUT BOTH ENDS!!

The disease’s breeding ground was Asia and the Middle East.

The first European to describe the disease was an officer of Vasco da Gama’s, in 1503. In India, he witnessed an epidemic of calamitous diarrhoea that swiftly proved fatal.

I MUST SAY, THAT RIVER THOSE PEOPLE ARE BATHING IN IS MORE LIKE A SEWER.

In the 19th century, six major cholera pandemics shook the world, all spread by new forms of transport.

The 1832 epidemic in Paris claimed around 100,000 lives.

FLEE! THE VERY AIR IS POISON!

A PUNISHMENT FROM GOD!

IT’S COMING OUT BOTH ENDS!!

That same year, in Edinburgh, surgeon Thomas Latta had an idea: rehydrating patients with saline injected into the colon.

I ATTEMPTED TO RESTORE THE BLOOD TO ITS NATURAL STATE, BY INJECTING WARM WATER COPIOUSLY INTO THE LARGER INTESTINES, TRUSTING IN THEIR POWER OF ABSORPTION.

THAT LOOKS QUITE A LOT, DOCTOR!

Faced with this initial setback, he tried gradually injecting six pints of (non-sterilized) saline into the arm via a goosefeather quill.

I FANCY I CAN FEEL HER PULSE AGAIN!

BUT BY THESE MEANS I PRODUCED, IN NO CASE, ANY PERMANENT BENEFIT.

intravenous catheter.

In the 19th century, everyone thought cholera was spread through noxious fumes (miasma).

Someone needed to “discover” cholera. That man was John Snow.

He became famous after administering chloroform to Queen Victoria during Prince Leopold’s birth in 1853.

YOUR MAJESTY, THIS WILL BE THE FIRST DELIVERY UNDER ANAESTHESIA.

SWEET JESUS!

Snow was festooned with degrees. The founder of a temperance movement, he first entered the budding field of anaesthesia with an ether inhaler of his own invention, then grew interested in chloroform.

He then opened a general practice at 54 Frith Street, attending to the paupers of Soho.

FUNNY, FOR THE QUEEN’S PHYSICIAN!

OH, I FEEL SO GOOD!

In 1854, a cholera epidemic was raging in London, in Snow’s own neighbourhood.

I JUST CAN’T CREDIT THE MIASMA THEORY.

IF YOU ASK ME, I THINK THEY’RE INGESTING SOME KIND OF POISON from THE WATER… AND I’LL PROVE IT!

QUEEN OR PAUPER, I DO MY BEST FOR BOTH!

His revolutionary idea was to compile a statistical analysis, charting the 578 addresses of the victims on a map of the city.

I WAS RIGHT! ALL THOSE PEOPLE GOT THEIR WATER FROM THE BROAD STREET PUMP!

PRACTISE: Listening

The text you are about to listen to is an excerpt from the novel Slam. Listen to the text twice at citizens.cdu.no a The first time you listen, focus on understanding the big picture. Do not note down details but concentrate on the events that you believe are important. Ask yourself: Where are we? What is happening here? Then work with task 1 on page 117. b Before listening for the second time, look at the questions in task 2 on page 117. Note down answers to the questions while listening.