AN AMERICAN PLAGUE: THE TRUE AND TERRIFYING STORY OF THE YELLOW FEVER EPIDEMIC OF 1793 by Jim Murphy
In the summer of 1793, Philadelphia was a hot and foul smelling place. Sewage and the bodies of dead animals festered in the streets, swarmed by flies, mosquitos, and other insects. When the first few people died, doctors assumed that they had succumbed to the typical summer illnesses believed to be caused by “foul smells.” But more people began to fall ill, and soon the death count had risen to dozens—then over a hundred—each day. Many fled the devastating disease that turned its victims yellow and caused them to spew black bile and blood. But others risked their lives to stay in Philadelphia and search for a cure. Jim Murphy tells the story of one of America’s most famous epidemics, focusing on the doctors and nurses who tried to treat the fever’s victims in a time of limited medical knowledge. The story an interesting glimpse into the history of medicine, though it is not as gripping as some of Jim Murphy’s other nonfiction books which have a stronger “survival story” element. An American Plague is more history than survival story, but is still a fascinating read.
If you liked An American Plague, you might like other books by Jim Murphy, Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson, and A Time of Angels by Karen Hesse.
Susan the Librarian 