Microbiology, Public Health, and the Development of Urban Civil Engineering of 18th Century Paris

FAIN: FT-13841-78

Charles J. Haug
Mississippi State University (Mississippi State, MS 39762-5227)

To study the relationship between specialists in microbiology and public health and the civil engineers who designed and built the water and sewer systems of 19th century Paris. Research into the causes of epidemic typhoid and cholera, led by microbiologists such as Louis Pasteur, made clear the need for sanitary water supplies. The current study will compare pre- and post-bacteriological practices of Parisian civil engineering and the role played by engineers in shaping public attitudes toward public health.