Introduction to Epidemiology 6th Edition by Ray M Merrill

Exercise 5

How long is a fortnight?

Step 1 of 2

After the death of John Barnes, his case was investigated by a surgeon Mr. George Hops. He was the most renowned practitioner of that time. At his first visit John Barnes already in labor due to cholera. On his second visit, the patient was dead and other family members had contracted the disease. The surgeon interviewed J.Barnes’s brother and found out that J.Barnes’s aunt, who lived in Leeds, was the source of transmission of the disease.

J.Barnes’s aunt, who lived in Leeds, had no child of her own. After her death her wearing apparel was sent to Monkton. This apparel was unwashed. The fact that she died due to cholera infection and her apparel was unwashed, made it easier for the surgeon to figure out that effluvia from apparel was the cause of transmission of disease to J. Barnes that most probably caused his death