Yellow as the Sun,

But Dark as Death.

The Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793.

Essay By: Dulcia, Eliza,Soja, Mackenzie, Sophie.

3/7/2016
1st hour Mainero

 When it was evening I wished for morning; and when it was morning, the prospect of
the labours of the day. . .caused me to wish for the return of evening. - Dr. Benjamin Rush
(Murphy 58)
Before starting this project, the researchers knew that
Yellow Fever was a illness that was very deadly and
dangerous. It killed a lot of people. The topic of Yellow
Fever was intriguing. The thought that something so small,
could be so deadly and spread so fast, was baffling. The
symptoms and fever itself were also very interesting, along
with the cures they used to heal the sick back in 1793. How did the disease get to America in
the first place? Did it come from foreign ships? Was it an animal? Foreign Products? Yellow
Fever is a vague topic, but that is why so many questions came to mind when reading An
American Plague. The fact that something as small as a mosquito could cause so much damage,
made for interesting topic and more questions followed. Some other questions that came to mind
were, what doctors made contributions to making discoveries about Yellow Fever? What action
was taken then and what action is taken now to prevent Yellow Fever or the development of the
mosquito population? What cures were used then to cure Yellow Fever compared to now? And
the most enticing question, what are signs and symptoms of Yellow Fever?

The researchers had multiple different steps of finding information. Some steps were
reading the book, An American Plague, to gather up the obvious information. Secondly, the

website Easybib was used to look for facts and answer sub questions about Yellow Fever, once a
website was found, it was cited. Another source that was used was a world studies teacher, Mr.
Klak. Many ways were used to find new information about the Yellow Fever epidemic, looking
through and reading An American Plague, was one. Also, the researchers used credible
websites on Easybib to further their learning.
After finding out who made the discovery of Yellow Fever, a few of the researchers found
biographies about the doctors to gather more information while others asked human sources. A
source that was found quite interesting was Mr. Klak, he mentioned that Yellow Fever came from
the Africans that were being sent to Philadelphia. Another source that was found interesting was
the book, An American Plague.
While the researchers looked for information they did encounter some downfalls and
problems. A likely problem that affected the researchers was finding credible websites to cite
from easybib, although the website were flooded with information the researchers didnt know if
it was correct or not. Another was balancing time between classes and at home schedules to work
on this project. During the hunt of finding answers and fact for Yellow Fever the researches came
across a lot of things that expanded their minds and changed their questions because of the
searching they found new information that made them want to look more in related topics about
this epidemic or how the mosquitoes carried the disease.

Just like any disease, Yellow Fever has many symptoms. Most people know about flu like
symptoms including high fever, muscle aches, and headaches. The last symptom of yellow fever
most people know about is jaundice, or when the skin and eyes turn yellow. However, there are
also many symptoms that people dont know about until further researching the topic. This
includes nausea, vomiting, eruptions all over the skin, back pain, fatigue, and weakness. These
symptoms are those of an average case of yellow fever, but there is also a severe version of the
illness. Vomiting black blood, bleeding, and eventually shock and failure of multiple organs are
characteristics of the severe version of the illness (CDC, 2007; and Murphy, 2003).
For the continent of Africa, dying is a serious threat since 58% of people who get the disease
succumb to it.

Nearly 4000
people died because of
the Yellow Fever
Epidemic and almost
20,000 people fled the
city. It caused severe pain for those who were diagnosed with it, and everyone else was scared to
death. The mosquitoes turned the city upside down. It was a normal thing to see someone fall
on the ground dead. Most people who received the disease died from it, those who were able to
overcome it-not many-had a long lasting immune to it. That would be pretty handy during that
time because then you would never have to worry about it again.

People worry less about getting the disease during cold seasons such as winter and mabie
fall. It is too cold for the mosquitoes to come out and bite. Mosquitoes like hot, humid weather.
When winter comes around many people start to relax and there are less sick people to care for.
Once bitten by a mosquito with the disease, there is no going back. But how do you
know if you have been bitten by an infected mosquito? Symptoms dont start to appear until 3-6
days after the bite. The Yellow Fever needs to be cured at an early stage. But many people dont
know they have Yellow Fever until about 10-15 days after the symptoms start to appear. They
think that it is just a bad virus, so they don't get too worried. By the time they find out, it is too
late.
Many cures were created in 1793 to get rid of the Yellow Fever. Some of these cures
helped, however others caused even more destruction. One cure used quite often was
Bloodletting. This was a treatment that Dr. Benjamin Rush came up with while he was sick with
the fever. 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(ocp.hul.harvard.edu/). Benjamin Rush decided that by decreasing the amount of blood
in the body the rest of the blood would flow better and the fever would be cured. Another cure
used was Ten and Ten. Dr. Benjamin Rush's radical cure: a massive laxative - 15 grains of jalap
and 10 grains of mercury salt - repeated every six hours plus "heroic bleeding(articles.philly).
This was another one of Benjamin Rushs cures. This cure seemed to be working in the
beginning of the treatment but later ended up causing many deaths.
There were a lot of people who made discoveries about Yellow Fever, and not all were
scientists. Some doctors like Dr. Carlos Finlay, were testing the theory that mosquitoes were to
blame for Yellow Fever. It turns out that they were. When slaves from Africa came to the United

States, they brought the disease with them. Unlike the Africans, the Americans didnt have a built
up immune system to the disease. Mosquitoes would bite an infected person, then go and and
bite someone else. That someone has a chance of getting the disease. There were also scientists
working on a more chemical level. Max Theiler along with his colleagues came up with a
vaccine for the disease. The vaccine gives a boost to the immune system so you have a lowered
chance of getting the disease. I got my information searching the research question What
doctors/scientists made discoveries about Yellow Fever? I also wondered Why did so many
people dismiss mosquitoes for causing the fever? What were some of the other people who
helped make the vaccine?

The researchers have developed because during their research they acquired new efficient
researching methods. They know now that there is more than one way to gather information.
They can collect information online, getting books from the library and human sources. Also
through this research project they know that not all websites and their information is accurate.
So in order to try and prevent going on websites that have false information we use credible
sources we find on Easybib. In their next research project, there are some things that they would
do differently. First of all, have better communication between group members. Making sure
that everyone finishes the assignments that had due dates. Also verifying that everyone knows
when assignments are due and what they have to do for it. During the research, the researchers
learned information, some of which they still can't believe. It is amazing that a tiny bug can

bring such chaos and destruction. Also one of the worst parts about the Yellow Fever is the cure
for it. Finally, the researchers new knowledge will affect their life and the way they think and
act. To begin, the next time they visit a place where Yellow Fever is common they will take
precautions. Also anytime they go outdoors they will remember to use insect repellant. The
researchers new knowledge has changed the way they think and act.

Bibliography

Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, n.d. Web. 26 Feb. 2016.

"Home - CDC Yellow Fever." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. N.p., 2 Nov. 2007.
Web. 24 Feb. 2016.
"Is There a Cure for Yellow Fever?" SteadyHealth. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Feb. 2016.
Murphy, Jim. An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic
of 1793. New York: Clarion, 2003. Print
"The Yellow Fever Epidemic." Africans in America. PBS, n.d. Web. 23 Feb. 2016.

"The Yellow Fever Epidemic in Philadelphia, 1793." Open Collections Program: Contagion,.
N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Mar. 2016.
"With Doctors Like These . . . 1793 Treatments For Fever Enough To Scare The Dead The
Bicentennial Of The Most Dramatic Disaster In Philadelphia History Has Sparked Public
Interest, Exhibits, Tours And Lectures. One Of The Most Fascinating Aspects Of The
Tragedy Was Medical Treatment And The Violent Controversy Over Which Was The
Proper Treatment." Philly-archives. N.p., 27 Sept. 1993. Web. 06 Mar. 2016.
"Yellow Fever Attacks Philadelphia, 1793." Eye Witness. N.p., 2005. Web. 24 Feb. 2016.
"Yellow Fever." Find Me A Cure. N.p., 23 Oct. 2008. Web. 23 Feb. 2016.
"Yellow Fever." History of Vaccines RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Feb. 2016.
"Yellow Fever (jungle Yellow Fever, Urban Yellow Fever)." New York State Department
of Health. N.p., Nov. 2006. Web. 23 Feb. 2016.
"Yellow Fever." NetDoctor.co.uk - The UK's Leading Independent Health Website. N.p., n.d.
Web. 23 Feb. 2016.
"Yellow Fever: Symptoms and Treatment." WebMD - Better Information. Better Health.
N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Feb. 2016.

The yellow fever was horrible thing but brought it the late 1900s and early 2000s
advanced technology in the medical field. There was no exact cure in the 1700s, but there were
guesses as to how to cure it. Using those guesses as background information, doctors today can
create new cures. Some symptoms from the 1700s were nausea, headache, black/dry tongue,
and death. Some of these cures are common today. Using the information from the 1700s,

doctors can help people today with the same symptoms. They understand what does work and
what does not.