An American Plague

An American Plague: the true and terrifying story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793	Houghton Mifflin Books
Written by Jim Murphy	2003
Nonfiction	140 pages
Reading Level ages 12-15	Newberry, National Book, and Sibert Awards

Summary

In 1793, when the French Revolution had refugees flocking to the states and calling on Washington for support against the English, there started to be one of the worst yellow fever outbreaks. Philadelphia is a port city where ships came to deliver their goods from all across the world. At first there was a selected area near the wharf and the sewage runoff that was affected and isolated to that one area. No one took notice until the tolling church steeple seemed to be ringing constantly. Doctors gathered and collaborated on what the malady was and how to cure the patients that were dying at an alarming rate. The residents of the town became more concerned and started fleeing the town. Even Washington evacuated and stayed at Mount Vernon. He believed it would only be for a short time and left his legal important papers in the state building. This led to trouble when a problem arose about an English seized ship by the French in an American harbor. Those eventually left were those too sick to help themselves. They died where they were, often without relief and lay there for days before workers carted them away to the gravesite. Doctors urged the homes to aired with gunpowder and vinegar and the body smothered in noxious fumes to help the humors keep balance. Those days, cures were more mild and helped with the symptoms rather than solving the disease. One Doctor believed in bleeding and having patients consume a vile combination that caused violent bowel movements and vomiting. As more were dying in their homes, some of the committee elected others to be over the Burn Hill place where the extremely sick were sent. The conditions were terrible and the building was more like a human slaughter house or waiting at death’s doorstep than a hospital. The Free African Society were some of the ones not affected as much as the white citizens, since some of them experienced the disease in Africa and built up defense against it that slowly deteriorated. The society became nurses and helped those in need. They were paid a dollar a visit and cleaned the homes, people and did what was called for. It became so dire that their time was auctioned off up to five dollars, which was a lot of money then. Also, farmers in the surrounding field refused to deliver food to the town and would not accept any more people fleeing from the city. Israel Israel was important in forming the Orphan society taking in children and caring for them. There soon were almost 200 children under the care of the institution. After the winter slowed the death count, some began to move back but were still aware of any one that appeared sick in any way. There were many books that were printed giving accounts and lists of those who died and what might have caused the disease. It was believed to have something to do with the mix of drinking water and outhouses but was discredited. They created the first water system in America, which allowed them to be more cleanly and not have to pump their water. There were studies experimented with mosquitoes, based on the fact that there were bite like welts on the affected people’s arms. He found that they carried the disease and affected others through their bites. Mosquitoes were observed during the plague to be prevalent in the standing waters and could be killed by adding a layer of oil to the surface of the water. This alone would have saved thousands of lives over the course of the months of the high death rates. There was a massive campaign to eradicate the mosquitoes and any breeding grounds that might be available. Even with most of the mosquitoes killed off, there are some still alive and have evolved against the method used to kill them. The virus also has evolved and is different to that in 1793, meaning that no one is immune to it and its effects.

Reaction

I thought this was well organized with sufficient eyewitness accounts and newspaper articles that balanced each other and kept me interested. I liked the portraits and description of the people and the quotes from their journals.

Potential Problems

This is about a plague that affected an entire city and had a death toll in the thousands. It is very descriptive and truthful in the accounts given.

Recommendations

I would be careful who I would recommend this book. It might be a book for students learning about diseases and the spread of them across the continents and the affects it has on people that are not immune to the disease.