In the sweltering summer of 1858 the stink of sewage from the polluted river Thames was extremely offensive. Engineer Sir Joseph Bazalgette was chosen to change the city's outdated sanitation system. This text examines his great achievement.

"This funny and informative picture book tells the story of Joseph Bazalgette, a 19th century engineer who designed London's first comprehensive sewage system. In doing so, he saved thousands of lives from cholera outbreaks that regularly plagued the city. This STEM-focused story provides a window into the past and shows

In the sweltering summer of 1858 the stink of sewage from the polluted Thames was so offensive that it drove Members of Parliament from the chamber of the House of Commons. Sewage generated by a population of over two million Londoners was pouring into the river and was being carried

Ultimately, the attitudes of physicians and the French public were shaped by political struggles between republicans and the clergy, by aggressive efforts to educate and civilizethe peasantry, and by long-term shifts in the public's ability to tolerate the odor of bodily substances.--Donald Reid, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Returning home from the battlefields of 1855 Crimea, William May struggles to recover from his experiences by working on London's new sewer system, a job that is compromised by a murder accusation that strains his tenuous hold on sanity.