Abel Wolman, "Friend of the Thirsty": A Life and Legacy of Water Sanitization

About this episode:  

At the turn of the 20th century, waterborne diseases like typhoid and dysentery posed a significant threat to public health, accounting for a large part of infant mortality and overall morbidity. Enter Abel Wolman, an early graduate of Johns Hopkins' engineering program and a professor at the university's school of public health. In this episode: the story of the Baltimore-born pioneer of water sanitization and how his work in water chlorination and infrastructure set the stage for better health across the globe. 

Note: This episode was produced in collaboration with the Johns Hopkins University sesquicentennial campaign. 

Guest: 

Graham Mooney, PhD, is an associate professor of history of medicine and epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. 

Host: 

Ari Goldstein, MD, is a family medicine physician and a recent alum of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health General Preventive Medicine Residency program. This year, Dr. Goldstein served a one-month rotation with Public Health On Call. 

Show links and related content: 

• Heroes of Public Health: Abel Wolman—Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health 

• Friend of the Thirsty—New York Times