In the 19th century, the population grew rapidly, but hygiene and public health standards struggled to keep pace. Montréal, like many other cities, was regularly hit by cholera and typhus epidemics, with very high mortality rates.

In 1832, a severe cholera epidemic struck Montréal. Often fatal, the disease spread as migration intensified. This crisis helped prompt the decision to cover the Little River, seen as a source of contagion.

This lithograph of Saint Roch, patron saint of plague victims, was published in La Minerve in 1833 to offer divine protection—and no doubt a measure of comfort—to citizens and the sick.

These vials and bottles, discovered in the debris of Sainte-Anne Market, bear witness to advances in medicine, hygiene, and pharmacology in the 19th century.