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Henry Whitehead
The founder and first president of the General Board of Health, Edwin Chadwick was an influential and controversial figure in the history of public health. Like many of his contemporaries, Chadwick believed in miasma theory—i.e., the idea that diseases are spread through bad odors. Chadwick believed that he could use the Board to rebuild London’s sewer system; in the end, however, his defining achievement as president of the GBH was to pump more filth into the River Thames, directly contributing to the cholera epidemics of the mid-19th century, and probably triggering thousands of deaths. Chadwick is a poignant example of “theory blindness”—he was so completely devoted to miasma theory that he refused to see the truth, even after John Snow compiled convincing evidence that miasma theory was wrong.
Edwin Chadwick Quotes in The Ghost Map
The The Ghost Map quotes below are all either spoken by Edwin Chadwick or refer to Edwin Chadwick. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 5
Quotes
No doubt he had done more than anyone alive to focus attention on the shameful condition of the industrial poor, and to mobilize forces to correct those problems. But some of the most significant programs he put in place ended up having catastrophic effects.
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Chapter 8
Quotes
Cities are invariably shaped by their master planners and their public officials; Chadwick and Farr had a tremendous impact on Victorian London—most of it positive, despite the miasma diversions. But in the last instance, the energy and vitality and innovation of cities comes from the Henry Whiteheads—the connectors and entrepreneurs and public characters who make the urban engine work at the street level.
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Edwin Chadwick Quotes in The Ghost Map
The The Ghost Map quotes below are all either spoken by Edwin Chadwick or refer to Edwin Chadwick. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 5
Quotes
No doubt he had done more than anyone alive to focus attention on the shameful condition of the industrial poor, and to mobilize forces to correct those problems. But some of the most significant programs he put in place ended up having catastrophic effects.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 8
Quotes
Cities are invariably shaped by their master planners and their public officials; Chadwick and Farr had a tremendous impact on Victorian London—most of it positive, despite the miasma diversions. But in the last instance, the energy and vitality and innovation of cities comes from the Henry Whiteheads—the connectors and entrepreneurs and public characters who make the urban engine work at the street level.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
