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Source Description
Throughout much of the 19th century, it was widely believed that cholera and other diseases spread by way of miasma, or “bad air” emanating from decomposing organic waste. This map, first printed in a physicians’ report following the cholera outbreak of 1849, shows the origins of cases treated at the Cholera Hospital in Boston’s Fort Hill neighborhood. Situated in today’s Financial District, the Fort Hill tenements were occupied predominantly by Irish immigrants. In keeping with prevailing miasma theory and attitudes toward immigrants, the report blames the epidemic on overcrowding, poor ventilation, and the perceived intemperance and unsanitary behaviors of the victims.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
8336hc331
label
Course of cholera in Boston in 1849
core
obj
dtoType
map
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
8336hc331
contentType
map
stage
normalized
title
Course of cholera in Boston in 1849
description
Throughout much of the 19th century, it was widely believed that cholera and other diseases spread by way of miasma, or “bad air” emanating from decomposing organic waste. This map, first printed in a physicians’ report following the cholera outbreak of 1849, shows the origins of cases treated at the Cholera Hospital in Boston’s Fort Hill neighborhood. Situated in today’s Financial District, the Fort Hill tenements were occupied predominantly by Irish immigrants. In keeping with prevailing miasma theory and attitudes toward immigrants, the report blames the epidemic on overcrowding, poor ventilation, and the perceived intemperance and unsanitary behaviors of the victims.
date
["[1866]"]
year
1866
rights
No known copyright restrictions.
rightsUri
No known restrictions on use.
reuseAllowed
no restrictions
language
English
identifierLocal
06_01_016344
creators
Boston (Mass.). Committee on Internal Health
J.H. Bufford's Lith.
institution
Boston Public Library
collections
Urban Maps
Boston and New England Maps
Norman B. Leventhal Map & Education Center Collection
subjects
Cholera--Massachusetts--Boston--Maps
Boston (Mass.)--Maps
Cholera Hospital (Boston, Mass.)
subjectsGeographic
Boston
Massachusetts
North and Central America
Suffolk (county)
United States
genreBasic
Maps
typeOfResource
Cartographic
country
United States
state
Massachusetts
county
Suffolk
city
Boston
thumbnailUrl
largeImageUrl
pageCount
1
source
import
pubPlace
[Boston]
publisher
[J.H. Eastburn, city printer]
Source extras
institutionArkId
sf268508b
collectionArkId
9s1621613
schema:latitude
42.35
schema:longitude
-71.05
extent
1 map ; 22 x 28 cm
notes
Conservation of this piece was funded by an anonymous donor.
Oriented with north to the right.
From Communication from the City Physician on Asiatic cholera. City of Boston, city document no. 21. [Boston, Mass.], 1866.
"Chart, showing the locations in which all the cases of cholera at the hospital & all the fatal cases elsewhere originated."
hasTranscription
no
dcId
8336hc331
type
map
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
b8a5962938921200