MIASMA
MIASMA: TRUST, DATA, AND PUBLIC HEALTH
Colin Murphy’s gripping new play is a medical detective story exploring trust in science, the dangers of groupthink, and political corruption. Set amid the cholera outbreaks of 1840s and 1850s London, Miasma follows the unconventional doctor John Snow as he challenges orthodox thinking, laying the foundations of epidemiology and what we now recognise as data science.
Miasma is a medical detective story — a story about good science and bad science, about groupthink and dissent, and about one man’s determination to challenge the system. Written by Colin Murphy, the play tells the story of Dr John Snow, a brilliant and independent-minded doctor in 1840s London, and his fight against the medical establishment — a struggle with thousands of lives at stake. Through theatrical storytelling, Miasma brings to life the principles of scientific inquiry, the fundamentals of data science, and the history and nature of epidemics, making complex ideas vivid and accessible to audiences.
It has played (in staged reading format) to acclaim in Dublin and will tour Ireland in Spring 2026. The Irish Times called it “an hour of tightly-tuned drama”. Professor Luke O’Neill (Trinity College), a leading science communicator in Ireland, said “Everyone in the country should see this play!”
Miasma Launch
The UCD Centre for Cultural Analytics was pleased to participate in the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland’s Annual Heritage Day on Wednesday, 15 October, which marked the launch of Phase Two of our project Miasma: Trust, Data and Public Health. The day featured a staged reading of Miasma, followed up a panel discussion discussing the play’s implications for discussions around science and public health.
A full production of Miasma will embark on a national tour in Spring 2026, bringing this important story to new audiences across the educational, medical, and cultural sectors. Further details about the tour will be announced here soon.
Funding: The Miasma project is funded by the Research Ireland Discover Programme, and forms part of the European Research Council (ERC) VICTEUR project and the Insight Research Ireland Centre for Data Analytics.
