19世纪伦敦的供水改革与霍乱防治

Water supply reform and cholera prevention in London in the 19^(th) century

19世纪伦敦人对水质的关注推动了供水改革。19世纪初,伦敦供水公司的水质引起供水焦虑和争议,随后,围绕被污染的水源是否有害、如何改善水质等问题,伦敦各界展开激烈交锋。1866年爆发的霍乱不但证实了斯诺的霍乱传播理论的正确,还揭露了作为饮用水源的河流被严重污染的事实,促使议会通过相关立法治理河流污染和改革供水,避免了霍乱的再次暴发。到20世纪初,伦敦的私人供水公司被纳入市政管理,伦敦供水基本达标。伦敦围绕供水改革与霍乱防治的争端是英国城市供水演变的缩影,展现出英国人公共卫生意识的发展及政府职能的扩大。

It was the Londoners＇ concern over water quality that resulted in the Water Supply Reform in the 19^th century. In the early 19^th century, the poorquality water provided by London water supply companies caused much anxiety and dispute. Subsequently, all circles of the Londoners were involved in heated debates on the consequences of water pollution, the approaches to improving water quality and so on. The cholera outbreak in 1866 not only confirmed John Snow＇s theory on the mode of communication of cholera, but also revealed the fact that the rivers as the source of drinking water were heavily polluted, which compelled the Parliament to pass some laws for preventing river pollution and improving water supply to avoid new cholera outbreaks. By the early 20^th century, private water supply companies of London had been under the municipal administration, and water supply was basically up to the standard. The debates on the water supply reform and cholera prevention in London was an epitome of the evolution of the urban water supply in Great Britain, which reflected the growing awareness of the public health in Britain and the expansion of the government functions.