The Lambeth Cholera Outbreak of 1848–1849

This work brings together a unique range of sources to reveal a forgotten episode in London’s history. Situated opposite Westminster on the south bank of the River Thames, by 1848 Lambeth’s waterfront had become London’s industrial center and a magnet to migrant workers. The book exposes the suffering of the working population in the face of apathy and ineptitude, and convincingly challenges the long-standing belief that London’s numerous cholera outbreaks beginning in 1832 were unrelated. The work combines recent scientific research with first-hand accounts to show for the first time that in the nineteenth century cholera was very probably endemic in the River Thames.

Freelance writer Amanda J. Thomas lives in Harpenden, Hertfordshire in the United Kingdom.

Amanda J. Thomas
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 274
Bibliographic Info: 50 photos, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2010
pISBN: 978-0-7864-3989-8
eISBN: 978-0-7864-5714-4
Imprint: McFarland

Acknowledgments      viii

Preface      1

Introduction      5

1. The Catalysts for Change and Reform      11

2. Public Health: Common Diseases and Cholera      33

3. Migration      67

4. The Development of Lambeth      79

5. Lambeth and the River Thames      121

6. The Lambeth District Sanitary Reports      131

7. The Cholera Outbreak      159

8. The Aftermath      199

9. Conclusion      223

Chapter Notes      229

Bibliography      247

Index      253