On the basis of the miasma theory and the contagion theory a comparison is presented of the 'cartography' in the epidemiology of the early years of the Nederlandsch Tijdschrift voor Geneeskunde and the present. The importance of publication of 'disease charts' then and now is illustrated with examples. Understanding, with the aid of charts, of the typical patterns of distribution of diseases, infectious and noninfectious, is still a cornerstone of their control.