I disagree that John Snow's work on cholera was a turning point in the prevention of infectious diseases c1700-c1900. Whilst he did have a role, I believe that vaccinations had a bigger impact on preventing infectious diseases because they had bigger impact on a wider range of diseases other than only Cholera prevention (SOC). Some historians may argue that John Snow's work on cholera was significant for progress in the prevention of disease. Before Snow’s work on the Broad Street cholera epidemic, there was no understanding of how diseases spread. Most people believed in miasma. When Snow removed the handle from the Broad Street pump in 1854, the cases of cholera decreased (K). This proved his theory that contaminated water, rather than miasma, spread disease. This had an impact on the prevention of infectious diseases as this disproved the widely held belief in miasma. In 1884, Koch proved that contaminated water contained cholera which allowed scientists to give better advice to the public on how to avoid catching epidemic diseases. Therefore, Snow had some impact on preventing infectious disease. However, after Snow presented his findings in 1855, the government did not act. The government and the public ignored Snow's findings, showing that it lacked importance. In addition, Snow's findings were only relevant to cause of cholera (SOC). I believe the most important factor in preventing infectious diseases was the development of vaccinations. Jenner created a vaccine for smallpox and published his findings in 1798. It saved many lives worldwide. By 1800, 100,000 people had been vaccinated (K). However, Jenner's methods in vaccine development could not be replicated to other diseases. It was not until Pasteur's work in vaccines that significant progress in preventing infectious diseases occurred. Pasteur used his method to create vaccines for other diseases such as anthrax and rabies. This meant that, by the start of the 20th century, more dangerous and infectious diseases were vaccinated against (SOC). Therefore, the creation of vaccines was a more significant turning point than John Snow's work. This is because it had a bigger impact on a wider range of diseases than just cholera. Another important event in the prevention of infectious diseases was the 1875 Public Health Act. This act made it compulsory for local authorities to provide clean water, dispose of waste properly to avoid polluting drinking water and hire a public officer of health to monitor where epidemics of disease occurred (K). This improved the prevention of infectious diseases because it shows the government taking responsibility for preventing diseases. This allowed tougher rules to improve public health to be passed, which improved the living standards of people across Britain. This reduced the number of epidemics and gave the public more knowledge about how to prevent them from catching diseases (SOC). Therefore, the Public Health Act made progress in the prevention of infectious diseases. However, vaccines were a better preventative method as it was a scientific way to prevent diseases rather than relying on the actions of the public and the local governments. In conclusion, I believe that Snow's work on cholera was not a turning point in the prevention of infectious diseases. Whilst Snow's work disproved miasma as a cause of cholera, it had less application for other infectious diseases in c1900. However, the development of vaccines by Jenner and Pasteur had a longer-term impact on infectious diseases (SOC).