Members are generally leading public health physicians, epidemiologists and anaesthetists. Membership requirements include a lifetime subscription, an interest in the works of Snow, and visiting the John Snow pub on at least one occasion when visiting London.
The John Snow Society (JSS) was founded in 1992, as a learned society named for John Snow, with the support of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and the Royal Society for Public Health.[1] Its co-founder and first president was Paul Fine,[2][3] who believes that the address book (that is, the ability to map and otherwise identify characteristics of people in relation to the local spread of disease) is key to public health and the solving of epidemics.[4] A demonstrative pumping action handshake was introduced to greet members.[5]
The JSS communicates to its members through its newsletter, the Broad Sheet.[8]
The John Snow pub serves as a meeting place for the JSS.[6][16] Its annual general meeting (AGM) is held there, typically following their Pumphandle Lecture.[17][18] At the conclusion of the Pumphandle Lecture, the guest speaker ceremonially removes the pump handle.[19] The attendees then retire to the John Snow pub, where the AGM of the Society takes place.[19]
Members are expected to visit the pub on at least one occasion when visiting London.[10] The minimum number of members to account for an official JSS meeting is two.[1] The JSS possesses the original Broad Street pump.[20] After the removal of the replica pump in 1992, the JSS petitioned for its return to its original site, achieved in 2018.[21]
^ abDazeley, Peter; Daly, Mark (2021). "Westminster and West End". London Explored: Secret, Surprising and Unusual Places to Discover in the Capital. Frances Lincoln. pp. 18–19. ISBN978-0-7112-4035-3.
^Goldfarb, William (2006). "Environment law". In Pfafflin, James R.; Ziegler, Edward N. (eds.). Encyclopedia of Environmental Science and Engineering, Volumes One and Two (5th ed.). Boco Raton: CRC Press. p. 370. ISBN978-1-4398-5186-9.