Why do we need to retell the story of yellow fever?
Because so many fled, many of the people most instrumental in caring for the afflicted and burying the dead were African Americans. Now, at the same time that Americans have rediscovered Hamilton through a bestselling autobiography and a sell-out Broadway show, the story of the 1793 yellow fever epidemic in Philadelphia needs retelling.
When was the first yellow fever epidemic in America?
The first major American yellow fever epidemic hit Philadelphia in July 1793 and peaked during the first weeks of October. Philadelphia, then the nation’s capital, was the most cosmopolitan city in the United States.
What are the symptoms of yellow fever Quizlet?
Yellow fever causes a high fever, black vomit (a result from bleeding in the stomach), and jaundice (a yellowing of the skin from which the disease gets its name). When the disease arrived in Philadelphia in 1793, the country faced its first major public health crisis.
Is there a cure for yellow fever?
There is no cure for yellow fever. Before the transmission of yellow fever was understood, yellow fever was thought to be airborne or spread through infected clothing. Urban areas burned tar, blanketing cities in choking smoke, in an effort to purify the air.
What were the treatment options for yellow fever in 1793?
In 1793, during a yellow fever epidemic in Philadelphia, Benjamin Rush adopted a therapy that centered on rapid depletion through purgation and bleeding. His method, especially his reliance on copious bloodletting, was at first widely condemned, but many American practitioners eventually adopted it.
How has the spread of yellow fever changed over time?
The 1950s saw an unprecedented expansion of yellow fever activity in the Americas, with cases in Panama for the first time in 43 years. Before the end of the decade, the disease had spread throughout Central America, finally stopping near the border of Guatemala and Mexico.
What is the modern treatment for yellow fever?
There is no medicine to treat or cure infection. To prevent getting sick from yellow fever, use insect repellent, wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants, and get vaccinated.
What progress has been made to eradicate yellow fever?
The Eliminate Yellow fever Epidemics (EYE) Strategy launched in 2017 is an unprecedented initiative. With more than 50 partners involved, the EYE partnership supports 40 at-risk countries in Africa and the Americas to prevent, detect, and respond to yellow fever suspected cases and outbreaks.
How is yellow fever prevented today?
The most effective way to prevent infection from Yellow Fever virus is to prevent mosquito bites. Mosquitoes bite during the day and night. Use insect repellent, wear long-sleeved shirts and pants, treat clothing and gear, and get vaccinated before traveling, if vaccination is recommended for you.
Is yellow fever still around today?
Today, yellow fever is endemic in tropical and subtropical regions of South America and Africa. While the development of a yellow fever vaccine (Theiler won a Nobel prize for this work) has saved countless lives over the years, the global burden of this disease is still high.
How did the US get rid of yellow fever?
After World War II, the world had DDT in its arsenal of mosquito control measures, and mosquito eradication became the primary method of controlling yellow fever. Then, in the 1940s, the yellow fever vaccine was developed. "It is one of the cheapest, most effective vaccines in the world," says Gubler.
How was yellow fever treated in the 1800s?
Those infected would be given treatments of bloodletting in hopes that the disease would be drained from the body. Although, nothing seemed to work until the city started to clean up its street and improving sanitation methods. The city's efforts managed to erase the standing water areas.
Is yellow fever still around in 2021?
In 2021, nine countries in the WHO African Region (Cameroon, Chad, Central African Republic (CAR), Côte d'Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Ghana, Niger, Nigeria, and Republic of Congo,) reported human laboratory confirmed cases of yellow fever (YF) in areas that are at high risk for the disease and have ...
What method did the Cuban government implement to stop the spread of yellow fever in 1901?
Applying methods first suggested by Finlay, the United States government and Army eradicated yellow fever in Cuba and later in Panama, allowing completion of the Panama Canal.
How did the government react to yellow fever?
The U.S. Mint's response to yellow fever struck a balance between workers' and employers' needs. Workers put on furlough were guaranteed jobs when the public health crisis was over. Meanwhile, the Mint secured their loyalty by promising back pay, so it was able to resume operations quickly after each outbreak.
Who found the cure for yellow fever?
In 1951, Max Theiler of the Rockefeller Foundation received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his discovery of an effective vaccine against yellow fever—a discovery first reported in the JEM 70 years ago. This was the first, and so far the only, Nobel Prize given for the development of a virus vaccine.
What is yellow fever?
Yellow fever is known for bringing on a characteristic yellow tinge to the eyes and skin, and for the terrible “black vomit” caused by bleeding into the stomach. Known today to be spread by infected mosquitoes, yellow fever was long believed to be a miasmatic disease originating in rotting vegetable matter and other putrefying filth, and most believed the fever to be contagious.
Who were the two free black men who volunteered to help the sick and the dead?
Absalom Jones and Richard Allen, two free Black men, volunteered. In a few weeks Jones, Allen, and others were bleeding hundreds of people a day under Rush’s direction, as well as nursing patients and carrying coffins.
What did Rush think of the mercury outbreak?
Rush thought that the outbreak had originated in a pile of rotting coffee beans left on the docks. He developed a very aggressive approach to treatment, copiously bleeding his patients and administering large quantities of mercury. These aggressive therapeutics became known, not always favorably, as “heroic medicine.”.
Who was the head of the Bush Hill Hospital?
When Philadelphia’s mayor asked the public for help, a French-born merchant from Santo Domingo named Stephen Girard stepped up and recommended his compatriot, Dr. Jean Devèze, to head the hospital.
Background Information
Politics of Yellow Fever in Alexander Hamilton’s America, produced by the U.S. National Library of Medicine, provides a multidisciplinary perspective on the yellow fever outbreak in Philadelphia in 1793.
Other Materials and Set-Ups
A display set-up for class, such as an interactive whiteboard, a projector, or a board to display images, captions, and to record summaries, findings, or questions from class discussions.
Class 1 Procedures
Preparation: Print copies of the essay on Politics of Yellow Fever: Exhibition Home then cut and separate paragraphs 3 to 8—i.e., one paragraph per strip. Prepare enough to provide one paragraph strip per student.
Class 2 Procedures
Preparation: Review students’ exit-tickets and topic research notes, then prepare to share exemplary exit-ticket responses and to provide guidance on good research habits—i.e., source citations, website evaluation criteria, etc.
Class 3 Procedures
Return to students their Yellow Fever Information handouts from Class 2. Based on the review and evaluation of student handouts, summarize any salient feedback based on their research work and offer additional guidelines or clarifications as needed.
Extension Opportunities
Students use Politics of Yellow Fever: Digital Gallery and three other reliable, good online sources to create a graphic timeline display that outlines and compares various yellow fever outbreaks in the United States from 1793 to 1900.
What is the name of the bacteria that killed 50 to 60 percent of its victims?
This deadly bacterium, Yersinia pestis, killed “50 to 60 percent of its victims” (page 284) and was accompanied by “high fever, swelling joints, swelling of the lymph nodes, and dark blotches caused by bleeding beneath the skin” (page 284). While searching for
How did the Black Death spread?
Over the next five years the plague continued to kill more than twenty million people in Europe. This was one third of the continent populations Scientists know the Black Death also known as the plaque is spread by bacillus called Yersinia Pestis. They know that the virus travel person to person, pneumatically or through the air. No one really understood why it was so communicable, no rational explanation for this contagious disease.
How many people died in the Black Plague?
The Black Death or also known as the black plague was one of the world’s most devastating pandemics in human history, it resulted in nearly 75 to 200 million deaths. That was about 30-60% of Europe’s total population. The plague reached Sicily in October 1347, and was carried by twelve Genoese galleys.
How did smallpox affect society?
Smallpox affected all levels of society. In the 18th century in Europe, 400,000 people died annually of smallpox, and one-third of the survivors went blind. The symptoms of smallpox, appeared suddenly and the sequelae were destructive. The case-fatality rate varied from 20% to 60% and left most survivors with disfiguring scars. The case-fatality rate in infants was even higher, approaching 80% in London and 98% in Berlin during the late
Why do people leave Valley Forge?
They are asking people to leave from valley forge because they know a lot of people could get sick and they could die from that one illness. To many people are dying from illness. Many people have that one illness and they want people to leave because you could get that illness from the person you 're with. The author stated,” Many people fight to get over that illness but can 't and just suffer and die” (Document A).
What was the disease in Philadelphia in 1793?
The place was Philadelphia, which was at that time the nation’s capital. The city was thriving. And so was a dangerous disease called yellow fever. Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton would contract it. As would the prominent physician and founding father Benjamin Rush.
When did the disease come to Philadelphia?
When the disease arrived in Philadelphia in 1793 , the country faced its first major public health crisis. Many people gathered in Philadelphia tried to treat the disease and save lives, but they couldn’t agree on the best approach.
What epidemic did Hamilton have?
Now, at the same time that Americans have rediscovered Hamilton through a bestselling autobiography and a sell-out Broadway show, the story of the 1793 yellow fever epidemic in Philadelphia needs retelling.
What was Rush's treatment called?
Hamilton, a prominent political figure, took another approach. “He followed what was called the ‘bark and wine cure,’ sometimes called the gentle cure or the West Indian treatment .
What did Alexander Hamilton want?
Alexander Hamilton. (Courtesy Bureau of Engraving and Printing) “Hamilton wanted to limit immigration and institute a quarantine, which would have impacted commerce,” said Bowen. “Rush supported cleaning the city.”. They didn’t have much time.
When did the Black People's book A Narrative of the Proceedings of the Black People take place?
In their book A Narrative of the Proceedings of the Black People, during the Late Awful Calamity in Philadelphia, in the Year 1793 , Jones and Allen explain their part in the relief efforts.
Who coordinated the relief efforts?
The Committee coordinated the efforts, while two leading African American ministers, Absalom Jones and Richard Allen, coordinated the relief workers from their congregations. “Jones and Allen worked with the Committee but were not listed as members or included in the decision-making process,” said Bowen.
What was the response of the scientists to the Yellow Fever epidemic?
His response was a scientific analysis approach in which he recorded his observations of the epidemic’s traits, the mental and physical effects on the citizens, and a plan to prevent its rapid spread in the future. Yellow fever strikes its victims with chills, purple marks on the skin, jaundiced (yellow) eyes and skin, and black blood-filled vomit.
How long does a mosquito last in Philadelphia?
It lasts about one week to ten days for those whose constitutions are strong enough to fight. The mosquito Aedes Aegypti is its carrier. This species lives in subtropical or tropical areas and most likely made its way to Philadelphia in barrels of stagnant water on shipping vessels.
Why did Thomas Jefferson fear for his life?
Some feared for their lives because they couldn’t leave town the way some of their more fortunate neighbors were able to. However, Thomas Jefferson did not appear to be afraid as he remained to continue his work as Secretary of State. He did appreciate the severity of the situation.
Who edited Thomas Jefferson's Germantown letters?
Jefferson’s Germantown Letters Together with Other Letters Relating to his Stay in Germantown During the Month of November, 1793, edited by Charles Francis Jenkins W.J. Campbell Publishers, 1906. Jenkinson, Clay. ...
Did Thomas Jefferson believe that the mosquito epidemic ceased?
Even with his keen observation and analytical skills, Jefferson did not recognize that the epidemic ceased when mosquito season ended. Instead he focused on the miasma, or “bad air,” theory, which was still the case in 1805 while he was president.
What was the first test of mosquito control?
Vaccination | CDC. Once mosquitoes were known to transmit the virus, public health officials targeted the insects in their preventive measures. A 1905 yellow fever outbreak in New Orleans was the first large scale test of mosquito control as a means of thwarting yellow fever.
What was the name of the disease that spread in 1693?
Historical Guide to Yellow Fever. In the summer of 1693, a strange disease spread through Boston. Victims suffered from jaundice, high fever and black vomit. For more than two hundred years, yellow fever — as the disease became known — attacked numerous American cities, usually in severe summer outbreaks.
How long does it take for a mosquito to die from internal bleeding?
Death occurs from internal hemorrhaging, usually five to ten days into the second phase. A female Aedes aegypti mosquito | James Gathany. Transmission.