William Budd
Encyclopedia
William Budd was an English
physician
and epidemiologist
known for recognizing the contagiousness of infectious diseases. He recognized that the "poisons" involved in infectious diseases
multiplied in the intestines of the sick, appeared in the excretions of the sick, and could then be transmitted to the healthy through contaminated water.
He particularly recognized this in cholera
(recognizing John Snow
's work) and typhoid fever
.
William Budd was born in 1811 to an English physician. He graduated from the University of Edinburgh
in 1838. Six out of his nine brothers also went into medicine. In 1841 he moved to Bristol
.
Using his theory, he took measures to protect the Bristol's water supply and is credited with decreasing the incidence of deaths from cholera from 2000 (out of a population of 140,000) in 1849 to just 29 in 1866.
The role of microorganisms was not recognized until Louis Pasteur
.
His obituary is found in the Lancet 1880;i: 148.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
physician
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
and epidemiologist
Epidemiology
Epidemiology is the study of health-event, health-characteristic, or health-determinant patterns in a population. It is the cornerstone method of public health research, and helps inform policy decisions and evidence-based medicine by identifying risk factors for disease and targets for preventive...
known for recognizing the contagiousness of infectious diseases. He recognized that the "poisons" involved in infectious diseases
Infectious disease
Infectious diseases, also known as communicable diseases, contagious diseases or transmissible diseases comprise clinically evident illness resulting from the infection, presence and growth of pathogenic biological agents in an individual host organism...
multiplied in the intestines of the sick, appeared in the excretions of the sick, and could then be transmitted to the healthy through contaminated water.
He particularly recognized this in cholera
Cholera
Cholera is an infection of the small intestine that is caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. The main symptoms are profuse watery diarrhea and vomiting. Transmission occurs primarily by drinking or eating water or food that has been contaminated by the diarrhea of an infected person or the feces...
(recognizing John Snow
John Snow (physician)
John Snow was an English physician and a leader in the adoption of anaesthesia and medical hygiene. He is considered to be one of the fathers of epidemiology, because of his work in tracing the source of a cholera outbreak in Soho, England, in 1854.-Early life and education:Snow was born 15 March...
's work) and typhoid fever
Typhoid fever
Typhoid fever, also known as Typhoid, is a common worldwide bacterial disease, transmitted by the ingestion of food or water contaminated with the feces of an infected person, which contain the bacterium Salmonella enterica, serovar Typhi...
.
William Budd was born in 1811 to an English physician. He graduated from the University of Edinburgh
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
in 1838. Six out of his nine brothers also went into medicine. In 1841 he moved to Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
.
Using his theory, he took measures to protect the Bristol's water supply and is credited with decreasing the incidence of deaths from cholera from 2000 (out of a population of 140,000) in 1849 to just 29 in 1866.
The role of microorganisms was not recognized until Louis Pasteur
Louis Pasteur
Louis Pasteur was a French chemist and microbiologist born in Dole. He is remembered for his remarkable breakthroughs in the causes and preventions of diseases. His discoveries reduced mortality from puerperal fever, and he created the first vaccine for rabies and anthrax. His experiments...
.
His obituary is found in the Lancet 1880;i: 148.
Selected Works
- Malignant cholera: its mode of propagation and its prevention (1849)
- "On intestinal fever". Lancet 1859;ii: 4-5, 28-30, 55-6, 80-2.
- "On the fever at the Clergy Orphan Asylum". Lancet 1856; ii: 618.
- Memoranda on Asiatic cholera, its mode of spreading and its prevention (1865)
- Cholera and disinfection : Asiatic cholera in Bristol in 1866 (1871)
- Typhoid fever, its nature, mode of spreading, and prevention. Retrieved March 7, 2010.
- On the Causes of Fevers, edited by: Dale C. Smith. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1984.