The Ghost Map - Book Review

Good morning, and be thankful if you have access to clean drinking water. It hasn't always been that way.

I just finished The Ghost Map: The Story of London's Most Terrifying Epidemic - and How It Changed Science, Cities, and the Modern World by Steven Johnson (2006).

Let's just say you don't want to get cholera, a bacterial disease that primarily spreads through contaminated water and wreaks havoc on the body by causing watery diarrhea until you die - if untreated. To learn more about cholera, I recommend listening to This Podcast Will Kill You - Season one, Episode four: The Poop Show.

I can credit TPWKY for sparking my interest in  learning more about infectious diseases of all sorts, which led to me picking up this book.

Ghost Map is about the 1854 London Broad Street outbreak, and the work of John Snow, a physician who worked tirelessly to investigate the cause. 

John Snow

Microscopy was in its earliest stages and germ theory was yet to be adopted as a cause of illness. The dominating theory of the time was that particles in the air caused disease. Miasmatists believed that bad smells equated illness, and that cholera struck in this manner.

Snow didn't buy into the miasma theory, and thought the outbreak was somehow connected to the water supply. The book details his work and the work of several others who eventually pinpointed the Broad Street pump as the source of the outbreak, which killed 616 people living in a small area of London.

The book starts by setting  the scene in 1854, with descriptions of the squalor many people lived in. It moves into detailed descriptions of what happens when someone has cholera and on to the story of Broad Street. It was fascinating, horrifying, and hard to put down!

The final section of the book brings things around to modern times and I'm afraid it lost a bit of its shine at this point. Johnson waxes on about the greatness of cities as a human social development, but ends up heading in a somewhat dark direction talking about the vulnerability to biologic and nuclear warfare. It veered into fantastical conjecture and went on a bit too long. It does make sense in a way, as Johnson lives in Brooklyn and was writing this book shortly after 9/11. Still, it could have been cut down to just a few paragraphs.

Despite the last bit, I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in history and/or infectious diseases. It reads like a mystery novel at times, and you'll learn things too!

Cholera bacteria (Vibrio cholerae)

Cast of Characters - the Inanimates

It's time to introduce you to the inanimate objects I'll write about from time to time. 

Say hello to my bicycle. 

Hello bicycle! 

I decided to take up riding a few months ago, primarily for the exercise. As Rowland ages, walks with him were no longer anything remotely resembling a workout. Something needed to be done! Last fall I started walking by myself (after walking Rowland), then bought a stand for my old bike so I could pedal in the garage once it was too dark to walk after work.  As the longer days returned, it was clear I needed a new bike so I could get outside to ride. Michael did some searching and found a couple of options nearby at Sharing Wheels Community Bike Shop. The bike I ended up with wasn't one he had seen online, but it's perfect for me! He did some upgrades and it rides like a dream. This bike has made a big difference in my life already!

The next important inanimate object is our trailer. 

Hello trailer!

After several years of not camping (pandemic, you know), we decided to sell the Aloha and get a modern trailer with a few more comforts. We found this 2012 model and snapped it up! It's got a great layout and is perfect for the two of us and Rowland. 

We're looking forward to many camping adventures ahead. Note the bicycles on the back...

There are other inanimate objects I've been known to observe in the wild - bollards and cones to be precise. You never know when they'll show up. Sometimes they even hang out together!

My Motto

Do you have a motto? I do.

Just because you can,

doesn't mean you should.

This can apply to most things in life, work or personal. Try it!

Cast of Characters - the Mammals

I thought it would be fun to introduce you to the characters most likely to turn up in one of my posts. Let's start with the carbon-based mammals, shall we?

First, there's me, Anne. Obviously. 

I rarely show myself publicly in photos, but you're in luck! Here's a recent shot of me just after dying my hair purple.

I currently work as programming coordinator for a two-county library system in the Pacific Northwest. I can't wait to retire. There's so much I'd rather be doing with my time, but I'm not quite there yet. Darn it.

I enjoy a variety of creative pursuits including watercolors, mixed-media art, book making, and cross stitch. I'm a bit of a magpie when it comes to my art, there are just so many formats I enjoy! I go where the mood takes me and am surrounded by a wealth of art supplies in need of using up.

Earlier this year I got a new (to me) bike and get out to ride around the neighborhood as often as I the weather allows. This put an end to the sluggishness of the last several years and I feel great!

Aside - I have been battling to format the photos a certain way and have ended up with a big strange gap that won't go away. I am able to add text and perhaps fill up the space with a bunch of nonsense to maintain the look I was hoping for. It is time for me to give up and move on, otherwise there will never be a second post on this blog. The preview tells me I've been successful at filling the space with drivel. 

Next there's Michael, my husband. He's a curmudgeonly Yorkshireman with a good heart and a wild history from his days as a working musician. He was in the right place at the right time and has stories to tell!

These days he spends his time riding his bike (my inspiration to start riding too), building guitar pedals, noodling around with his array of synthesizers, and making sure our household doesn't fall apart.

He's an amazing cook and I will share some of our favorite recipes.

Let's move on to the next character, Rowland S. Howard (dog). Rowland is 11 going on 90, and quite the character. He's slowing down and doesn't have the stamina for long walks, but still likes to get out and about around the neighborhood twice a day. He snores loudly, is scared of his own farts, and never says no to a treat - especially if it's from the UPS driver. He'll magically regain his speed and stamina to chase the truck down if we see it while out walking, and doesn't understand that all of the other delivery trucks aren't filled with goodies for him.

He is a very good boy.

You'll also hear about Nolan, my son, from time to time. I was going to make a crack about him also being a very good boy, but as you can see he's not a child!

He's a botanist with a passion for documenting rare plants before they disappear. He and his partner Mia have traveled around the world to look at plants and other beings in a variety of exciting spots. Their trips to Ecuador have resulted in the discovery of several new species, with more to come!

You can see Nolan's stunning photographs and learn all about the plants he observes on his Instagram page @botanists_in_paradise or his iNaturalist account.

Now that the introductions are over, I'll get on to the writing! See you again soon.

Howdy, hi, hi...

I decided to go old school.

Back to the basics of blogging, on the least complex site I could find.

I haven't written anything in quite a while, but have the itch to send some thoughts into the ether.

Social media is becoming a drag, both Facebook and Instagram are riddled with advertisements and "suggested" posts from people I don't follow. When you're not very active on Facebook, it starts to suggest some really strange things, like a desperate child trying to get your attention.

Hey! Look at me! Over here!

No.

You're a toxic time suck.

Instagram is going to use everyone's images to train AI. Neat.

Side note: I investigated another platform for my shiny new blog, and aside from it being way more than I need they kept trying to shove AI tools in my face at every turn.

No.

What about Substack? They coddle Nazis, so I'm not too keen on that either. I've got extensive archives of my newsletter there, and they'll be available for anyone interested in reading past missives. I got pretty burnt out writing those every week and am not interested in going back to that format.

Just a good ol' blog for me, thanks.

See you again soon!

A dire warning?