Way back in 1662,John Evelyn,a brilliant Englishman known for his detailed diaries,wrote 

About disastrous effects of coal-burning on the city of London .In it,he described an infernal scene of 

smog.air filled with "Columns and Clouds of Smoke''given out by small industries and residences 

that burned coal for fuel. 

I found the description in the 2003 book When Smoke Ran like Water,by epidemiologist and environmental advocator Devra Davis.In it,Davis looks back at several historic pollution events and their disastrous effect on human human health-and at how these phenomena were often Ignored or even actively covered up by then people in charge at that time. 

As Davis points out,John Evelyn was ahead of his time when writing about how London's 

polluted air affected the well-being of its residents.It wasn't until nearly 300 years later,after what 

became well-known as the Great Smog of 1952,that the government began to address the problem in a systematic way. 

For four days.Between December 5th"and 9th",due to all accident of the weather pattern,the city 

was buried in a heavy fog .People were still burning coal for fuel,and low-grade coal at that time, 

because 0f wartime condition.A temperature inversion trapped the smoke from the city's fires, 

creating a black cloud in which people could barely find their way down the most familiar streets 

Some tried to protect themselves,but most people simply went about their business 

But l952's fog was far worse than any other in memory.In the same week of the previous year, 

1852 people had died in London;inl952,that number was 4703 And the deaths didn't stop when 

the weather changed and the fog lifted.Davis and her colleagues analyzed data from the next several 

months and found that about 13000 more people died between December and March than one would 

have predicted from historical averages Many of them died of pneumonia .The government, 

she writes.Tried to blame a bad flu season.Her detailed analysis found that explanation simply did 

not pan out. 

Davis writes that even today in this country ,we still have not completely absorbed the lessons 

0f similar events.Sixty years the killer fog lifted in London,people are dying preventable 

deaths and suffering life.changing illnesses,simply because they must breathe the air of the cities 

where they live
who is Devra Davis?
what book did he write?
when?
what is it about?
what did he say about John Evelyn?
when was the Great Smog?
does Davis think we have learned a lesson?
who is John Evelyn?
is he Irish?
where is he from?
what did he write about?
what event was he writing about?
of what?
where was the smoke from?
why were they burning it?
epidemiologist and environmental advocator
epidemiologist and environmental advocator
When Smoke Ran like Water
When Smoke Ran like Water
2003
2003
historic pollution events
historic pollution events
ahead of his time
ahead of his time
1952
1952
no
still have not completely absorbed the lessons 
known for his detailed diaries
known for his detailed diaries
no
Englishman
England
Englishman
smog
smog
disastrous effects
disastrous effects
of coal-burning
of coal-burning
small industries and residences
small industries and residences
burned coal for fuel.
burned coal for fuel.