Principal's Greeting

Principal's Piece

Dr John Snow’s birthday (1813), cholera (1854), and COVID-19 (2020)

This edition of our College Newsletter is purposively published to coincide with Dr John Snow’s birthday. He was born on 15 March 1813, so if he were alive today, he would be celebrating his 207th birthday. Dr John Snow is considered one of the founders of modern epidemiology, in part because of his work in tracing the source of a cholera outbreak in Soho, London, in 1854. Following the outbreak of cholera in the Broad Street (now called Broadwick Street) area in 1854, Dr John Snow removed the handle from the Broad Street pump and stopped the local epidemic. Part of Dr John Snow’s legacy is his map of the Broad Street pump outbreak, which includes the number of deaths from cholera in the streets surrounding Broad Street. In March 2003 a survey by Hospital Doctor magazine, John Snow was voted the "greatest doctor" of all time, with Hippocrates (460-370 BC) coming in second. While the poll was likely biased with over-representation of John Snow supporters, the findings do point to the high regard for Dr John Snow’s work among contemporary physicians.

The design our new College buildings and environment on the Mount Oswald site will reflect some of the key symbols of Dr John Snow’s significant contribution to science and public health. The six accommodation blocks will be named after some of the streets, (those with the greatest number of cholera deaths), close to the Broad Street water pump and the 13 Townhouses will be named No 1 Broadwick Street, No 2 Broadwick Street, etc. This decision was one of the last tasks of Will Lewington, JCR President 2017-2019 and is part of his legacy as the JCR President who moved a College 23 miles, in style. A replica of the map, identifying the block names, will feature in the main reception area of our College. In addition to the Kernel sculpture, (which is already in place), a sculpture of the Broad Street water pump will take centre stage in the College grounds. It has been designed by the same artist, (David Harber), as the Kernel and the inscription on the base reads "All that would be required to prevent cholera would be such a close attention to cleanliness in water supply" Dr John Snow (1813-1858). This initiative was pioneered by Sophie Breedon and Beth MacDougall when they worked as sabbatical offers for the College during our transition from Queen’s Campus Stockton to Durham City.

Regardless of the advancements in science and public health since 1854, it is worth noting that those responsible for tackling the current COVID-19 epidemic, (coronavirus), are using the same basic principles of contact tracing, mapping and confinement as Dr John Snow employed. The 2020 Dr John Snow Anniversary lecture, to be held on Monday 16th March in Durham Town Hall, will be delivered by Dr Stephanie Snow, a relative of ‘our’ Dr John Snow. Stephanie will be drawing on these examples as she takes us for a tour through the history, art and science of epidemiology and public health.

Professor Carolyn Summerbell Principal of John Snow College and Professor of Nutrition, Department of Sport and Exercise Sciences