Yesterday, I linked to a review of Steven Johnson’s The Ghost Map. Afterwards, I came across this trailer for the book.

[youtube]3P8shnNEXb4[/youtube]

Since the author tells you essentially the whole story, I don’t feel too badly telling you how it ends. They began by removing the pump handle, and the cholera incidence rate instantly dropped. The map that Johnson alludes to is also a classic in data presentation design.

Steven Johnson recently compiled a list of the Five Best Books about Plagues for the Wall Street Journal.