The first recorded case of cholera in England occurred in Sunderland, 23 October 1831. The pandemic lasted 1831-1832 and there would be further outbreaks of the disease in the 1840s and 1850s. The majority of victims were poor: Cruikshank’s skinny patient, dressed in rags, sits on a stool labelled ‘starvation’ and has the blue/purple skin that was a symptom of the disease. The blue pill in his hand contained mercury and acted as a purgative (i.e. it had a powerful laxative effect or caused diarrhoea). The bottle of liquid, to be taken twice daily, is an emetic (meaning that it induced vomiting). The strange creature lurking under the table with the words ‘Fee Fo Fum’ on its belly, recalls the rhyme from Jack and the Beanstalk: “I smell the blood of an Englishman . . .” Meanwhile, the top of the Board of Health table is propped up on legs formed from bones.
It seems a grotesque subject for a cartoon but Cruikshank was not the only person to satirise the lack of consensus in the medical profession, stark contrast between the destitute victims and affluent doctors and the Government policies around public health. Until John Snow traced the cause of a cholera outbreak in London to a contaminated water pump, in 1854, there was no accepted wisdom as to either the cause of, or cure for, cholera. Lax housekeeping and cheap liquor were often blamed.
Remember that evidence isn’t always in the form of handwritten or printed text: studying cartoons can tell you something important about public perceptions, how information was communicated and even about illustrative techniques. Generally speaking, sources relating to the cholera outbreaks can provide information about the history of medicine and public health and government policies.
Reference: RB 616.932 BEL, Cruikshank, R., A cholera patient (18- -?), Rare Books, Newcastle University Special Collections, GB 186.
