Reflection Paper: Ghost Map

Assignment: You are asked to write a paper concerning Steven Johnson’s The Ghost Map. This is not a book report and you are not to simply summarize the book. Think about this book in the context of what you have learned in class and through the assigned readings. Consider the following questions as you prepare your essay: How does the spread of cholera in London relate to the social determinants of health? What particularly qualified John Snow to unravel the mystery of cholera? What were some of the factors that contributed to the resistance to reject miasma theory? Do these factors relate to social movements we see in modern society? Why is the story of John Snow and the ghost map important today? What is the likelihood that a widespread event like the cholera outbreak could happen in North America today? Where might it start, and what conditions would need to exist?