Dr. William Budd is considered a pioneer in the development of the germ theory of disease and waterborne transmission. He is best known for identifying water as the source of transmission in typhoid fever.

Budd was born in Devon, England, into a medical family. His father was a physician, and 6 of his 10 brothers studied medicine. After initially completing an apprenticeship with his father, he spent 4 years training in Paris, where he was a student of Pierre Charles Alexandre Louis, who is often referred to as the ‘father of epidemiology.’ In 1841, Budd settled in Bristol, England, where he worked as a physician at St. Peter's Hospital and the Bristol Royal Infirmary. It was during his time in Bristol that Budd developed his theory ...