L'héritage de John Snow

The legacy of John Snow: Epidemiology yesterday, today and tomorrow

A pair of meetings hosted by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and the Wellcome Trust, in collaboration with the International Epidemiological Association, the John Snow Societyand the Centre for History in Public Health.

• 15 – 16 March 2013: Mapping disease: John Snow and Cholera
• 11 – 12 April   2013: Snow’s legacy: Epidemiology today and tomorrow
• There will also be a public Exhibition: Cartographies of Life & Death: John Snow and Disease Mapping, combining historical material and new artworks at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and related sites, 13 March – 17 April 2013

John Snow is an iconic figure in epidemiology, best known for his work on cholera, for a famous map, and for organizing the removal of a pump handle on Broad Street on 8th September 1854. Less well known are his important contributions to anaesthesia and to epidemiological methods, and his engagement in public debates of the time beyond his immediate medical interests. The breadth and depth of Snow’s activities provide a model for researchers concerned not only with sound method but also with bringing their results to public benefit. Indeed, though epidemiology is often described as the study of health-related aspects of populations, its methods are applicable to studies of virtually anything in populations, and disciplines which now acknowledge the methods and terminology of epidemiology range from education to crime science and economics.

The 200th anniversary of Snow’s birth on 15th March 2013 provides an occasion to celebrate Snow’s achievements, to consider their original context, to discuss their place in contemporary epidemiology, and consider their likely future not only as the armamentarium of public health but as a framework of method for science and society.

The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and The Wellcome Trust, in collaboration with theInternational Epidemiological Association, The John Snow Society and the Centre for History in Public Health are hosting two meetings as part of a series of events to commemorate the bicentenary.

To coincide with Snow’s birth anniversary, the meeting on 15-16 March will focus on historical aspects of his work and will include a public lecture and a day-long meeting orientated to medical history.

The meeting on 11-12 April, by contrast, will provide a contemporary evaluation of Snow’s legacy and will include an appraisal of developments in epidemiological methods and their application in disciplines within and beyond the health sciences.