The “Cholera Cloud” in the Nineteenth-Century “British World”: History of an Object-Without-an-Essence

Abstract

The "cholera cloud" is one of the most persistent presences in the archives of nineteenth-century cholera in the "British World." Yet it has seldom received anything more than a passing acknowledgment from historians of cholera. Tracing the history of the cholera cloud as an object promises to open up a new dimension of the historically contingent experience of cholera, as well as make a significant contribution to the emergent literature on "thing theory." By conceptualizing the cholera cloud as an object-without-an-essence, this article demonstrates how global cholera pandemics in the nineteenth century produced globalized objects in which a near-universal recognizability and an utterly context-specific set of meanings, visions, and realities could ironically cohabit.

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“…The medical community was not alone in this view. An established position of miasma in the public imagination was exemplified in the phenomenon of “cholera cloud” sightings, widespread internationally throughout most of the 19th century [9] . Arising from a variety of influences, including earlier beliefs about “plague clouds” and medical literature on atmospheric miasma , sightings of cholera clouds and mists of various colors were thought to signal the terrifying prospect of an impending epidemic [9] .…”

“…An established position of miasma in the public imagination was exemplified in the phenomenon of “cholera cloud” sightings, widespread internationally throughout most of the 19th century [9] . Arising from a variety of influences, including earlier beliefs about “plague clouds” and medical literature on atmospheric miasma , sightings of cholera clouds and mists of various colors were thought to signal the terrifying prospect of an impending epidemic [9] . At the time of Snow's testimony, cholera clouds routinely imbued public representations of the disease, from artwork depicting them as large, ominous black mists to frequent press accounts of clouds shortly preceding outbreaks [9] .…”

“…That biological evidence of the “cholera poison” was so summarily dismissed was remarkable because evidentiary support for miasma theory consisted of little more than folklore; normal human revulsion to foul odors; and misguided, albeit careful, scientific investigations, including meteorological observations of cholera clouds, microscopic examination of airborne particles thought to compose the clouds, and a simple cross-sectional inverse association of elevation above the Thames with cholera mortality rates [ 9 , 13 , 14 ]. Yet, in an editorial published shortly after Snow's testimony, the Lancet editors contrasted his “crude opinions and hobbyistic dogmas” with the “comprehensive and well-weighed decisions” of the “true representatives” of science [ 7 , p. 634].…”

“…Neither the 1858 “Great Stink” nor the 1866 refutation of miasma theory fully ended miasma adherence. For example, James Glaisher, a renowned meteorologist, wrote a letter to The Times in August 1866, warning in strong terms of an impending epidemic signaled by blue mist [9] . His letter was quickly followed by a flood of responses to The Times , as well as accounts of similar instances published in The Lancet , the Philadelphia Medical and Surgical Reporter , and other medical journals [9] .…”

“…Even at the end of the 19th century, reports of cholera clouds appeared frequently in the medical literature and popular press, sometimes accompanied by explanations of the biology underlying their effects [9] . One historian later described these reports as attempts “to reformat the cholera cloud to bring it in line with emergent scientific understandings” [ 9 , p. 317].…”