Cholera Epidemics of 1832 and 1834 Commemorative Plaque, 2016
| File information | Options |
Original JPG File1800 × 1200 pixels (2.16 MP) 15.2 cm × 10.2 cm @ 300 PPI 1.4 MB |
Restricted |
Resource ID
5216
Access
Open
Address
132 King St E, Toronto, ON M5C 1G7
Credit Line
Heritage Toronto
Date of Creation
2016
Historical Themes
Program Category
Rights
Heritage Toronto
Time Period
Caption
Cholera Epidemics of 1832 and 1834 Commemorative Plaque, 2016
Description
Cholera Epidemics of 1832 and 1834 On June 21, 1832, the first cases of cholera, a highly contagious and deadly disease, appeared in the Towns and Villages. Much feared, cholera first appeared in India in the 1770s, spreading along trade routes to Asia and Europe, and arriving in London, England in February 1832.
Immigrants sailing in unsanitary and often gruesome conditions unknowingly brought cholera with them to North America. Despite quarantine measures, the disease devastated towns and cities along the St. Lawrence River. During the spring and summer of 1832, about 11, 000 immigrants passed through York, landing at wharves close to this site. They often stayed in crowded housing in the St. Lawrence Ward, allowing the disease to spread easily.
In an effort to control the epidemic, the provincial government appointed a Board of Health, which advised the existing hospital to focus on treating cholera. However, most of the sick were too frightened to go for help and about 450 died.
The first cholera epidemic ended in the fall of 1832. The disease had spread among new immigrants as well as York’s residents, who numbered about 5, 500. When cholera returned in 1834, the newly incorporated City of Toronto implemented its first public health bylaws, many of which shaped the later development of the city.
Marker lat / long: 43.650479, -79.372362 (WGS84)