Cholera is a water-borne infection which infects the small intestines of the patients and causes them to vomit and lose tremendous amount of water due to diarrhea. Tragically, this disease has murdered thousands of people's lives especially in the developing countries. During the beginning of 19th century in London which was one of the metropolitan cities, people started putting their human's waste at their home's basements. Because of the unbearable disgusting smell, the government suggested their citizens to throw their wastes into the rivers. Therefore, cholera's existence originated. The government first thought that it was an air-borne disease, but actually, it was not. Then, a doctor named John Snow argued that it was a water-borne disease, yet none were convinced. Only after Henry Whitehead, a local minister, created a map, called as Ghost Map, to show the number of dead people around the epidemic areas that resulted from drinking the pump water which was infected by cholera's bacteria. Around 250,000 lives lost in London, until the government accepted that the disease is water-borne.
Personal View: I can highly assume that the death could have been prevented if the locals and states of London believed doctor John Snow since the beginning of the outbreak. No matter what happens, if we only act patient for a time being and listen to reasons, there's a high probability that problems will be solved.
Link: http://www.ted.com/talks/steven_johnson_tours_the_ghost_map.html
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