19世纪中叶英国霍乱病因之争

1831—1849年间英国先后两次暴发霍乱,造成众多人口死亡和巨大的社会恐慌。围绕霍乱出现的原因,英国社会各界展开激烈的争论,分裂为两派:非传染派认为霍乱不会传染,从道德、阶层、种族等角度进行阐释;传染派认为霍乱通过瘴气或不卫生等方式传染。这场争论加深了英国人对霍乱的认识,推动了公共卫生运动的开展。

Debates on the Causes of the British Cholera in the Mid-19th Century

It was Cholera that broke out twice in Britain during 1831-1849 that resulted in violent social panic and the death of large population.The British from all walks of life engaged in fierce debates and divided spontaneously into two parties on the causes of the cholera.The party of the non-infectious insisted that cholera could not be infectious and explained their viewpoints from the perspective of morality,class,race,etc,while the party of the infectious claimed that cholera could transmit through malaria or unsanitary ways.The debates deepened British understanding of cholera,thus promoting the launching of the public health movement.