John Snow was a physician and surgeon from England who was one of the prolific advocates of using ether and chloroform as surgical anaesthetics. He was also a leading figure in the development of medical hygiene. A native of York, Snow grew up in an impoverished household. Since he was a child, he displayed an aptitude for mathematics. At the age of 14, he began a medical apprenticeship with William Hardcastle. He was later educated at the Hunterian school of medicine in Great Windmill Street, London, and the University of London. In 1850, he joined the Royal College of Physicians. Widely regarded as one of the founders of modern epidemiology, he did pioneering work in finding the source of a cholera outbreak in Soho, London, in 1854. According to researchers at Oxford University, Snow’s work paved the way for the adoption of anaesthesia as well as radical modifications in the water and waste systems of London. This inspired similar modifications in other cities, which, in turn, led to the betterment in general public health around the world.
