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  • Essay / Dr. John Snow: Defining Moments in Public Health

    Snow attempted to inform and educate those with whom he came into contact, advising them to avoid the water from the Broad Street pump. Informing, educating and empowering is another aspect of public health in which I will need to be involved. Dr. Snow later brought his findings to the attention of the local board of health as well as the neighborhood parish. The parish was ultimately more willing to hear her theory, and despite the theory's contradictory stance toward miasma, she went ahead and removed the handle from the offending water pump. One could even argue that this interaction aligned with another essential element of public health: mobilization. Working with the parish, Dr. Snow mobilized a community partner – in this case, the parish – to take action. One of the most interesting aspects of his work is that by mobilizing the parish, he transformed one of its most vocal critics, Reverend Whitehead, into a