From the introduction:
This game immerses students in the scientific debates and methodologies that led to the founding of the modern fields of microbiology and epidemiology in the mid-to-late 1800’s. It places particular emphasis on the dichotomy and tension between believers of miasma theory (the prevailing idea at the time that disease was caused by miasma or unhealthy odors) and advocates of germ theory (that later attributed a specific disease to being caused by a specific organism). Central characters in this debate included Dr. John Snow (resident physician in St. James Parish and believer that cholera was a contagious and waterborne disease), the Rev. Henry Whitehead (curate of the local Church of St. Luke’s and a staunch supporter of miasma theory) and Dr. William Farr (vital records statistician for the General Register Office). With slight modifications, this game can also be used to achieve secondary scientific objectives highlighting the role of sanitation in modern society and the eventual implementation of municipal water-treatment systems in urban planning.