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"Cholera forcing". The myth of the good epidemic and the coming of good water. American journal of public health [Am J Public Health] Journal article

 
Hamlin C 
"Cholera forcing". The myth of the good epidemic and the coming of good water. [Historical Article, Journal Article]
Am J Public Health 2009 Nov; 99(11):1946-54.


It has been frequently claimed that cholera epidemics, both in the 19th century and today, were and can be the key stimulus for procurement of safe water and sanitation, an idea that I call "cholera forcing." "Technology forcing" refers to imposition of exogenous factors that suddenly make possible achievements that had not seemed so; cholera has been seen in this light. I argue that this view oversimplifies and underrepresents the importance of industrialization in securing water supplies. Careful study of the financial, political, and administrative foundations of such changes will be more fruitful.



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