[Dr Stockmann and Dr Snow--two heroes of public health]

Abstract

Dr Thomas Stockmann, the main character of An enemy of the people by Henrik Ibsen (1828-1906), has been described as a hero of public health. In spite of his idealism and high principles, he was, however, not able to do anything about the contaminated water supply of the baths in the town where he lived. Important differences may be noticed if we compare the fictional Dr Stockmann with Dr John Snow (1813-58), a real hero of public health famous for his handling of a cholera epidemic in London in 1854. While Dr Snow carried out extensive investigations of the relation between water supply and illness and still was humble when presenting his findings, the fictional Dr Stockmann took only one sample of water for examination and was bombastic in his conclusion. And while Dr Snow had a simple suggestion for solving the problem, Dr Stockmann seemed more eager to dramatize the situation. Scientific documentation and a practical attitude to problem solving continue to be important in order to achieve results in the field of public health.