--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: And so it was with the Broad Street well…" description: "\"“And so it was with the Broad Street well that the decision to remove the pump handle turned out to be more significant than the short-term effects of ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b2/steven-johnson-9014_first-time_and-so-it-was-with-the-broad-street-well_2967220.png" --- # And so it was with the Broad Street well that the decision… ![“And so it was with the Broad Street well that the decision to remove the pump handle turned out to be more significant than the short-term effects of that decision [Cholera outbreak abated.] . . . .But the pump handle stands for more than that local redemption. It marks a turning point in the…” quote by Steven Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b2/steven-johnson-9014_first-time_and-so-it-was-with-the-broad-street-well_2967220.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b2/steven-johnson-9014_first-time_and-so-it-was-with-the-broad-street-well_2967220.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b2/steven-johnson-9014_first-time_and-so-it-was-with-the-broad-street-well_2967220.png) > ““And so it was with the Broad Street well that the decision to remove the pump handle turned out to be more significant than the short-term effects of that decision \[Cholera outbreak abated.\] . . . .But the pump handle stands for more than that local redemption. It marks a turning point in the battle between urban man and V. cholerae , because for the first time a public institution had made an informed intervention into a cholera outbreak based on a scientifically sound theory of the disease. . . . For the first time, the V. cholerae's growing dominion over the city would be challenged by reason, not superstition.”” [Steven Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-johnson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The removal of the Broad Street pump handle showed that scientific reasoning can triumph over superstition in public health crises. **In simple terms:** Science can stop disease better than myths. Key Takeaway Apply evidence‑based solutions. Themes science public health reason urban history Mood thoughtful informed Type historical educational When to use this quote - city planning - public health response - education campaigns - community outreach Key Concepts epidemiology social change policy innovation Questions to Reflect On - How can modern societies ensure evidence guides policy? - What barriers still let superstition influence health decisions? A Different Perspective Science alone cannot solve all crises without political will. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Turning point](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/turning-point/) ## Related quotes > [“Positivist man is a curious creature who dwells in the tiny island of light composed of what he finds scientifically "meaningful," while the whole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-barrett/positivist-man-is-a-curious-creature-who-dwells-in-the-tiny-island-of/) [William Barrett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-barrett/) > [I pull out the gas pump handle BEFORE I put in my credit card! Thug Life!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-pull-out-the-gas-pump-handle-before-i-put-in-my-credit-card-thug/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When Peru had a cholera outbreak in 1991, losses from tourism and agricultural revenue were three times greater than the total money spent on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-george/when-peru-had-a-cholera-outbreak-in-1991-losses-from-tourism-and/) [Rose George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-george/) > [“Established in 1796 at the edge of town in response to a cholera outbreak. We had more bodies than holes to put them in.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiffany-reisz/established-in-1796-at-the-edge-of-town-in-response-to-a-cholera/) [Tiffany Reisz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiffany-reisz/) ## More by Steven Johnson > [Most new movements start this way: hundreds or thousands of individuals and groups, working in different fields and different locations, start thinking about change…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-johnson/most-new-movements-start-this-way-hundreds-or-thousands-of/) [Steven Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-johnson/) > [“Edison invented the lightbulb the way Steve Jobs invented the MP3 player: he wasn’t the first, but he was the first to make something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-johnson/edison-invented-the-lightbulb-the-way-steve-jobs-invented-the-mp3/) [Steven Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-johnson/) > [“Early risers strolling along the Thames would see the toshers wading through the muck of low tide, dressed almost comically in flowing velveteen coats,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-johnson/early-risers-strolling-along-the-thames-would-see-the-toshers-wading/) [Steven Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-johnson/) > [“Build a tangled bank.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-johnson/build-a-tangled-bank/) [Steven Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-johnson/) > [If we didn't have genetic mutations, we wouldn't have us. You need error to open the door to the adjacent possible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-johnson/if-we-didn-t-have-genetic-mutations-we-wouldn-t-have-us-you-need/) [Steven Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-johnson/) > [The problem is, there are definitely some genuinely lame things on television, and there's more at the bottom of the barrel, because the barrel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-johnson/the-problem-is-there-are-definitely-some-genuinely-lame-things-on/) [Steven Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-johnson/) > [Organizations that empower folks further down the chain or try to get rid of the big hierarchal chains and allow decision making to happen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-johnson/organizations-that-empower-folks-further-down-the-chain-or-try-to-get/) [Steven Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-johnson/) > [“The birth of the civil rights movement was intimately bound up in the spread of jazz music throughout the United States. It was, for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-johnson/the-birth-of-the-civil-rights-movement-was-intimately-bound-up-in-the/) [Steven Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-johnson/) > [Popular culture, on average, has been growing more cognitively challenging over the past thirty years, not less. Despite everything you hear about declining standards…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-johnson/popular-culture-on-average-has-been-growing-more-cognitively/) [Steven Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-johnson/) > [“From am overall eclsyste,s perspective, if you're going to have 10million human beings trying to share an environment with other life-forms, it's much better…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-johnson/from-am-overall-eclsyste-s-perspective-if-you-re-going-to-have/) [Steven Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-johnson/) > [Nothing really says ... interactivity - which was so exciting and captures the real, the Web Zeitgeist of 1995 - than 'Click here for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-johnson/nothing-really-says-interactivity-which-was-so-exciting-and-captures/) [Steven Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-johnson/) > [“An innovation, or cluster of innovations, in one field ends up triggering changes that seem to belong to a different domain altogether.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-johnson/an-innovation-or-cluster-of-innovations-in-one-field-ends-up/) [Steven Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-johnson/) > [Every childhood has its talismans, the sacred objects that look innocuous enough to the outside world, but that trigger an onslaught of vivid memories…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-johnson/every-childhood-has-its-talismans-the-sacred-objects-that-look/) [Steven Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-johnson/) > [I suspect millions of people from my generation probably have comparable stories to tell: if not of sports simulations then of Dungeons & Dragons,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-johnson/i-suspect-millions-of-people-from-my-generation-probably-have/) [Steven Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-johnson/) > [“It is a great testimony to the connectedness of life on earth that the fates of the largest and the tiniest life should be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-johnson/it-is-a-great-testimony-to-the-connectedness-of-life-on-earth-that/) [Steven Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-johnson/) [Explore all 76 Steven Johnson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-johnson/) ## More First time quotes > [A man walks down the street. It's a street in a strange world. Maybe it's the third world. Maybe it's his first time around.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-simon/a-man-walks-down-the-street-it-s-a-street-in-a-strange-world-maybe-it/) [Paul Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-simon/) > [“I’m so stressed that a weird Olympic-style commentary starts up in my head. And here we have Zelah Green, the fourteen-year-old champion of rituals,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vanessa-curtis/i-m-so-stressed-that-a-weird-olympic-style-commentary-starts-up-in-my/) Vanessa Curtis > [I'm very used to working with first time actors - you can just look back at 'E.T.' with Drew Barrymore, and Christian Bale from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-spielberg/i-m-very-used-to-working-with-first-time-actors-you-can-just-look/) [Steven Spielberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-spielberg/) > [“I’m waiting for you,” he murmured, smiling a slow, familiar grin that seemed to hint at a secret between them. And for the first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-monir/i-m-waiting-for-you-he-murmured-smiling-a-slow-familiar-grin-that/) [Alexandra Monir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-monir/) > [“Treat every natural beauty you met as if you see them for the first and last time!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/treat-every-natural-beauty-you-met-as-if-you-see-them-for-the-first/) [Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [“I won’t break your heart. For the first time in my life, I’ve found something worth fighting for, someone more important than me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chelle-bliss/i-won-t-break-your-heart-for-the-first-time-in-my-life-i-ve-found/) [Chelle Bliss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chelle-bliss/) > [Life is like a parachute jump: you have to get it right the first time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/life-is-like-a-parachute-jump-you-have-to-get-it-right-the-first-time/) [Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/) > [When I was in my twenties and just so sexually prolific, the first time I went to Machu Picchu, this guy, a spiritual teacher,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-harrelson/when-i-was-in-my-twenties-and-just-so-sexually-prolific-the-first/) [Woody Harrelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-harrelson/) > [When my kids were in the school play for the first time, I decided I had to make the costumes from scratch and bought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-alexander/when-my-kids-were-in-the-school-play-for-the-first-time-i-decided-i/) [Sarah Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-alexander/) > [“I will run every mile, i will save every line, i will say i reached the top and i will fall back down standing.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mennah-al-refaey/i-will-run-every-mile-i-will-save-every-line-i-will-say-i-reached-the/) Mennah al refaey > [“Or maybe your magic isn't that destructive after all. The rain of Doritos, the bed thing,this...Maybe it's just that you create too big, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-hawkins/or-maybe-your-magic-isn-t-that-destructive-after-all-the-rain-of/) [Rachel Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-hawkins/) > [There is no pain like the first time you get your heart broken.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ne-yo/there-is-no-pain-like-the-first-time-you-get-your-heart-broken/) [Ne-Yo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ne-yo/) > [I don't know why, but everybody thinks that I'm short. When they see me for the first time, women are always surprised to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mariah-carey/i-don-t-know-why-but-everybody-thinks-that-i-m-short-when-they-see-me/) [Mariah Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mariah-carey/) > [“I met Suffering on a quiet road, just as the sun was setting behind me. Its presence was heavy, like an old coat I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sanjo-jendayi/i-met-suffering-on-a-quiet-road-just-as-the-sun-was-setting-behind-me/) [Sanjo Jendayi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sanjo-jendayi/) > [“You never talk to the pitcher when…” He shook his head. “You just never talk to the pitcher when--” “I just wanted to congratulate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-hawthorne/you-never-talk-to-the-pitcher-when-he-shook-his-head-you-just-never/) [Rachel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-hawthorne/) Browse all 9,309 First time quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“And so it was with the Broad Street well that the decision to remove the pump handle turned out to be more significant than the short-term effects of that decision [Cholera outbreak abated.] . . . .But the pump handle stands for more than that local redemption. It marks a turning point in the battle between urban man and V. cholerae , because for the first time a public institution had made an informed intervention into a cholera outbreak based on a scientifically sound theory of the disease. . . . For the first time, the V. cholerae's growing dominion over the city would be challenged by reason, not superstition.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Steven Johnson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-johnson/and-so-it-was-with-the-broad-street-well-that-the-decision-to-remove/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "First time" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-johnson/and-so-it-was-with-the-broad-street-well-that-the-decision-to-remove/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b2/steven-johnson-9014_first-time_and-so-it-was-with-the-broad-street-well_2967220.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b2/steven-johnson-9014_first-time_and-so-it-was-with-the-broad-street-well_2967220.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b2/steven-johnson-9014_first-time_and-so-it-was-with-the-broad-street-well_2967220.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“And so it was with the Broad Street well that the decision to remove the pump handle turned out to be more…” — Steven Johnson", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Steven Johnson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-johnson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“And so it was with the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-johnson/and-so-it-was-with-the-broad-street-well-that-the-decision-to-remove/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-johnson/and-so-it-was-with-the-broad-street-well-that-the-decision-to-remove/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```