Shephard D A
Department of Anaesthesia, University Hospital, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.
Can J Anaesth. 1989 Mar;36(2):224-41. doi: 10.1007/BF03011450.
John Snow's leadership in epidemiology as well as anaesthesia resulted from his research as much as his clinical practice. In anaesthesia, Snow's research concerned the regulation of concentrations of volatile agents and the development of efficient inhalers; the uptake and elimination of volatile agents; stages of anaesthesia; carbon dioxide metabolism and rebreathing; and metabolism in anaesthesia and the theory of anaesthesia. In epidemiology, Snow investigated the relationship of water supplies to mortality in cholera during the London epidemic in 1854, which led him to formulate an original and valid theory of the transmission of cholera. Snow's research, which has received less attention than anecdotes concerning his career (e.g., his anaesthetizing Queen Victoria and urging removal of the handle of a contaminated water pump), was always directed towards solving specific problems. The significance of his research is evident in its leading not only to improvements in health care but also to the evolution of anaesthesia and epidemiology as professional disciplines.
约翰·斯诺在流行病学以及麻醉学领域的领导地位，既源于他的临床实践，也源于他的研究。在麻醉学方面，斯诺的研究涉及挥发性麻醉剂浓度的调节、高效吸入器的研发；挥发性麻醉剂的摄取与消除；麻醉阶段；二氧化碳代谢与再呼吸；以及麻醉中的代谢和麻醉理论。在流行病学方面，斯诺调查了1854年伦敦霍乱疫情期间供水与死亡率之间的关系，这使他提出了一种关于霍乱传播的原创且有效的理论。斯诺的研究，比起有关他职业生涯的轶事（例如他为维多利亚女王实施麻醉以及敦促拆除受污染水泵的把手）受到的关注较少，但他的研究始终旨在解决具体问题。他研究的重要性不仅体现在推动了医疗保健的改善，还体现在促进了麻醉学和流行病学作为专业学科的发展。
