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Early 19th century
The second cholera pandemic
“People wanted the certainty of expert knowledge”
There were six cholera pandemics in the 19th century. Originally from India, the disease first came to Europe in 1831 during the second pandemic, through military and commercial routes. In Britain, the disease was first recorded in Sunderland, from where it spread across the country, killing 32,000 during 1831-32. Today it remains a widespread and deadly disease in places where people do not have access to sufficient sanitation and clean water.
Cholera spread widely in Britain 1831-32
Deaths from cholera in villages for every 1,000 inhabitants
The first case was recorded in Sunderland, October 1831.
Cholera riots took place in Liverpool and other cities.
The first case was recorded in Sunderland, October 1831.
Cholera riots took place in Liverpool and other cities.
Source: manuscript on the incidence of cholera in Great Britain. Analysis by Dr. Romola Davenport (Department of Geography, Cambridge). Ireland data not available.
Cholera mortality was high and people died shortly after being infected. Makeshift hospitals were installed in most major cities, but there was resistance to this state intervention: riots broke out and doctors were attacked. People were suspicious of the doctors, who had to pay for the treatment, and feared that their bodies would be taken for dissection if they died.
Satirical medical cartoons circulated during the 1832 epidemic. Credit: Wellcome Collection.
Dr. Katrina Navickas, a historian of the 19th century protests at the University of Hertfordshire, says that the body-related horror stories also increased the climate of fear. “People did not trust the doctors, they did not trust the government, and they felt trapped by press stories in the press.” In addition to this, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein was a popular novel at the time, so there were many gothic images around bodies and corpses. “
Lack of knowledge about the disease may have exacerbated the frantic atmosphere. It was not established until later in the century that cholera spread through water instead of air, and as a result it was not clear how the medical profession or the state could cure it. “They were not sure how cholera was spreading, they were really scared and that is partly why there was unrest.” People wanted the certainty of expert knowledge, but they just didn’t have it at the time, “says Navickas.
