“DRJOHNSNOW—Thiswell-knownphysiciandiedatnoononthe16thinstant,athishouseinSackville-street,fromanattackofapoplexy.Hisresearchesonchloroformandotheranaestheticswereappreciatedbytheprofession.”

　　JohnSnow'sdeathwassuddenandearly—hewasonly45yearsofage.Otherobituariesandeulogiesweremoreeffusive.AtthetimeofSnow'sdemisehewasasuccessfulanaesthetistwhoseexpertisewaswidelysoughtbysurgeonsandpatients,buthistheorythatcholerawasspreadthroughwaterwasnotbroadlysupported.YetfastforwardtothepresentandSnowhasbecomeaniconicfigureheadacrosspublichealthandepidemiology,aswellasanaesthesia.TheJohnSnowSociety,foundedin1993witharound1500membersworldwide,promoteshislifeandworks,andseeksto“provideacommunicationnetworkforepidemiologistsandthosetrainedintheSnowtraditionthroughouttheworld”.TheSocietyorganisesannuallecturesatwhichmembersre-enacttheremovalofthepumphandleduringtheeponymous1854choleraoutbreakinBroadStreet,Soho,London,UK.ItalsoproducesSnowmemorabiliaandtheSocietyrecentlyintroducedawalkinthefootstepsof“themedicaldetective”throughthestreetsofSoho,concludingattheJohnSnowpub—itselfapeculiarmemorialsincehepractisedtemperance.SohowhasSnowbeenmadeahero?