In the summer of 1854, the Soho area of London experienced a devastating cholera outbreak, resulting in the deaths of 500 individuals within just 10 days. The rapid increase in the city’s population, which exceeded 2.3 million by the early 1800s, overwhelmed existing sanitation infrastructure.
Despite the alarming number of fatalities, public perception at the time linked the illness to miasma, or bad air, rather than to the contaminated water supply. The sewage system failed to adequately manage the waste, leading to human waste contaminating streets and water sources, yet these conditions were not recognized as contributing factors to the cholera crisis.