Disgusting, but fascinating.

Private Buffoon has an interesting post about the history of cholera and how Dr. John Snow‘s study of it in 1850’s London led to our modern-day understanding of epidemiology.

I read a great book a while back about this called The Ghost Map, by Steven Johnson. It’s a fascinating book, though I would caution against reading it when you’ve just eaten, or are about to eat.

Most of the book is about the Broad street cholera outbreak, but the last chapter is a philosophical rumination on the structure of cities and city life. Both parts make for good reading. Just be aware that the title of his post applies to much of it.

What's your stake in this, cowboy?