1793 — Aug–Nov, Yellow Fever Epidemic, Philadelphia, PA –4,041-5,000
–4,000-5,000. Murphy. An American Plague…the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793. 2003, p.101.[1]
–<5,000 Powell, J. H. Bring Out Your Dead….Yellow Fever in Philadelphia in 1793. NY: 1949
–~5,000 Arnebeck, Bob. Destroying Angel: Benjamin Rush, Yellow Fever… 1999.[2]
–~5,000 PBS. The Great Fever. “Timeline of Yellow Fever in America 1495-1889.” 9-29-2006.
–~5,000 Steffano-Davis. A Great Desolation: Yellow Fever…American History. 2006, p. 13.[3]
–~5,000 Willsey and Lewis. “Philadelphia,” Harper’s Book of Facts. 1895, p. 626.
— 5,000 History.com. This Day in History, Disaster, October 11, 1793.
— 5,000 Simonds, W. E. (ed.). The American Date Book. Kama Publishing Co., 1902, p. 82.
— 4,044 Augustin, George. History of Yellow Fever. New Orleans, 1909,[4] p. 424.[5]
— 4,044 Heaton, Claude. “Yellow Fever in New York City.” BMLA, Apr 1946, 34/2, p. 68.
— 4,044 Powell, J. H. Bring out Your Dead. 1949.[6]
— 4,044 Aug 1-Nov 9. Rush. An Account of the Bilious remitting Yellow Fever. 1794, p. 128.[7]
— 4,044 U.S. Marine-Hospital Service. Annual Report…Fiscal Year 1895. 1896, p. 430.[8]
— 4,041 Augustin, George. History of Yellow Fever. New Orleans, 1909, p. 50.
— 4,041 Carey, Mathew. A Short Account of the Malignant Fever, Lately Prevalent… 1794.[9]
— 4,041 Keating. A History of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1878 in Memphis…, 1879, p. 79.[10]
— 4,041 Putnam, G. P. (ed.). The World’s Progress: A Dictionary of Dates. 1851, p. 605.
— 4,041 Sternberg. “Yellow Fever: History and Geographic Distribution.” 1908, p. 719.[11]
— 1,100 Sep Augustin. History of Yellow Fever, 1909, p. 49.
Narrative Information
Heaton: “The most serious early epidemic of yellow fever in the United States struck Philadelphia in 1793. Four thousand and forty-four victims perished in four months, or one in ten of the entire population. New York was greatly alarmed. The Governor issued a proclamation prohibiting all -vessels from Philadelphia from approaching nearer the city than Bedloe’s Island, now the site of Bartholdi’s famous Statue of Liberty, where a quarantine station had been established by the Province before the Revolution. He next proclaimed a day of fasting, humiliation and prayer which every one kept.
“A citizen’s committee was formed to aid the Common Council, which named a special cooperating committee of seven in taking precautionary measures. Five physicians, two employed by the Citizen’s Committee and three by the city, joined with the health officer in examining suspected cases of the disease. A loan of five thousand dollars was made at the Bank of New York and sent to aid those in need in Philadelphia. The bank “in consequence of the benevolent use intended to be made of the money” demanded only five per cent interest for the same.[12]
“In an attempt to stop all intercourse between the two cities guards were posted to prevent entrance by boat or stagecoach. The health committee issued handbills forbidding communications with Philadelphia. Although a night watch was established to prevent entrance after dark and citizens were cautioned not to receive strangers into their homes and to report them to the mayor, fugitives eluded all vigilance. Attempts to smuggle in goods were hindered and normal trade came to a standstill. The city election was seriously interfered with as many dared not enter the city to vote. With the coming of cold weather the danger of yellow fever disappeared as usual. Only a few cases, with an insignificant number of fatalities, had occurred in New York. People credited the efforts of the authorities to prevent intercourse with Philadelphia, the cleaning of the streets and the abatement of nuisances, for their escape.” (Heaton, Claude Edwin, MD. “Yellow Fever in New York City.” Bulletin Medical Library Association, April 1946, Vol. 34, No. 2, p. 67 in pp. 67-78.)
History.com: “By the middle of October, 100 people were dying from the virus every day. Caring for the victims so strained public services that the local city government collapsed. Philadelphia was also the seat of the United States government at the time, but federal authorities simply evacuated the city in face of the raging epidemic.” (History.com. This Day…History…, Oct 11, 1793. “Yellow Fever Breaks out in Philadelphia.”)
PBS: “Yellow fever kills an estimated 5,000 people in Philadelphia. Thousands more city residents will die in subsequent outbreaks over the next decade.” (PBS, American Experience. The Great Fever. “Timeline of Yellow Fever in America 1495-1889.” September 29, 2006.)
Putnam: “Yellow Fever….Philadelphia was nearly desolated by it in 1793, and again in 1798. 4041 persons died in 1793, and 17,000 fled from the city (population, 50,000).” (Putnam, G. P. (Ed.). The World’s Progress: A Dictionary of Dates. NY: G. P. Putnam, 1851.)
Sternberg: “In 1793 Philadelphia was the nation’s largest city and its capital, home to…Jefferson… Washington… Hamilton. It was also the site of the most fearsome epidemic to strike the young nation.
“The First Cases: Dr. Benjamin Rush…was called to the home of Dr. Hugh Hodge on August 5. Hodge’s young daughter was jaundiced, suffering from a high fever, and vomiting blood. She died that day…. On August 21, he told Mayor Matthew Clarkson that unsanitary conditions in the bustling city were causing a yellow fever epidemic.
“Conflicting Theories: Not everyone agreed on the cause. While Rush determined that the illness originated locally, the governor blamed foreigners from the West Indies. Other doctors argued that the disease had arrived on boats from the Caribbean and supported a quarantine of the vessels and passengers. Doctors also disagreed about treatment, with some advocating bleeding and purging while others proposed milder remedies such as teas and cold baths …
“`Quit the City’ The mayor convened the College of Physicians, which on August 27 advised people to avoid infected cases if possible and keep the streets clean, among other measures. Rush beseeched all “that can move, to quit the city.” About 20,000 people fled, including George Washington…. Thomas Jefferson observed: “Everybody who can, is fleeing from the city, and the panic of the country people is likely to add famine to the disease.”…
“Fear Rushes In: As the deadly disease spread…Mathew Carey chronicled the reaction of city residents who remained: “The consternation of the people of Philadelphia, at this period, was carried beyond all bounds. Dismay and affright were visible in almost every person’s countenance.”… In some households, family members were banished into the street when they complained of a headache, a common precursor to yellow fever. “Parents desert their children as soon as they are infected,” lamented Rush…” (Sternberg 1908)
“Serving the Afflicted: Indeed, most of the black residents of Philadelphia remained in the city and helped the stricken white residents. Members of Philadelphia’s African Society, who held the common belief that black people were immune to the disease…[fulfilled] many responsibilities abandoned by white residents…; 240 black residents died of yellow fever.
“A Welcome Frost: On September 12, Mayor Clarkson warned a group of citizens that the city was approaching anarchy… the epidemic was worsening, with deaths ranging from 67 on September 16 to 96 on September 24. The city’s burial grounds were nearly filled. Meanwhile, cities in surrounding states established quarantine houses or roadblocks to stop Philadelphians from entering. October brought higher death tolls but also relief. At the end of the month, a welcomed frost…arrived. On October 31, a white flag flew over the city hospital, signifying that no yellow fever patients remained…about a tenth of the residents of the city and its suburbs [had died].” (Sternberg, George M. (Public Health Service, US Marine Hospital Service). “Yellow Fever: History and Geographic Distribution.” Pages 715-722 in Stedman, Thomas L., M.D. (Ed.) Appendix to the Reference Handbook of the Medical Sciences. NY: William Wood & Co., 1908.
Sources
Arnebeck, Bob. A Short History of Yellow Fever in the US. 1-30-2008 update. Accessed at: http://www.geocities.com/bobarnebeck/history.html
Arnebeck, Bob. Destroying Angel: Benjamin Rush, Yellow Fever and the Birth of Modern Medicine. Web-published, 1999. At: http://www.geocities.com/bobarnebeck/table.html
Augustin, George. History of Yellow Fever. New Orleans: Published for the Author by Search & Pfaff Ltd., 1909; General Books reprint, Memphis, TN, 2010. 1909 copy digitized at: http://archive.org/stream/historyofyellowf00auguuoft#page/n4/mode/1up
Carey, Mathew. A Short Account of the Malignant Fever, Lately Prevalent in Philadelphia Reprint of 1794 edition. (New York: Arno, 1970). Also electronically accessible at: http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/philadelphia/history/yellowfever1793.pdf
Heaton, Claude Edwin, MD. “Yellow Fever in New York City.” Bulletin Medical Library Association, April 1946, Vol. 34, No. 2, p. 67 in pp. 67-78. Accessed 11/23/2010 at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC194570/
History.com. This Day in History, Disaster, October 11, 1793. “Yellow Fever Breaks Out in Philadelphia.” Accessed 12-08-2008 at: http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&displayDate=10/11&categoryId=disaster
Keating, J. M. A History of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1878 in Memphis, Tenn. Memphis, TN: Howard Assoc., 1879. Google preview accessed 3-16-2018 at: http://books.google.com/books?id=WEIJAAAAIAAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false
Murphy, Jim. An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793. New York: Scholastic Inc., 2003.
PBS, American Experience. The Great Fever. “Timeline of Yellow Fever in America 1495-1889.” 9-29-2006. Accessed at: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/fever/filmmore/index.html
Powell, J. H. Bring Out Your Dead – The Great Plague of Yellow Fever in Philadelphia in 1793. New York: Time Inc., 1949.
Putnam, G. P. (Ed.). The World’s Progress: A Dictionary of Dates. NY: G. P. Putnam, 1851. Google Digitized: http://books.google.com/books?id=qz9HAAAAIAAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false )
Ruane, Michael. “Trial By Epidemic,” Philadelphia Inquirer Magazine, 8-15-1993, p 19. Cited in: Arnebeck, Bob. Destroying Angel: Benjamin Rush, Yellow Fever and the Birth of Modern Medicine. Web-published, 1999. Accessed at: http://www.geocities.com/bobarnebeck/table.html
Rush, Benjamin, M.D. An Account of the Bilious remitting Yellow Fever as it appeared in the City of Philadelphia in the Year 1793. Philadelphia, Thomas Dobson, 1794. Google preview accessed at: http://books.google.com/books?id=crA_AAAAcAAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false
Simonds, W. E. (Editor). The American Date Book. Kama Publishing Co., 1902, 211 pages. Google digital preview accessed 9-8-2017 at: http://books.google.com/books?id=JuiSjvd5owAC
Steffano-Davis, Stephanie. A Great Desolation: Yellow Fever, Smallpox and Influenza in American History. Masters Thesis, presented to faculty of Humboldt State Univ., May 2006, 120 pages. At: http://dscholar.humboldt.edu:8080/dspace/bitstream/2148/61/1/Steffano-Davis.pdf
Sternberg, George M. (Public Health Service/US Marine Hospital Service). “Yellow Fever: History and Geographic Distribution.” Pp 715-722 in Stedman, Thomas L., M.D. (Ed.) Appendix to the Reference Handbook of the Medical Sciences. NY: William Wood & Co., 1908. Google digitized at:
http://books.google.com/books?id=3ezqX415M5wC&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_atb#v=onepage&q&f=false
United States Marine-Hospital Service, Treasury Department. Annual Report of the Supervising Surgeon-General of the Marine-Hospital Service of the United States for the Fiscal Year 1895 (Document No. 1811). Washington, DC: GPO, 1896. Google preview accessed 3-16-2018 at: http://books.google.com/books?id=aTnxAAAAIAAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_atb#v=onepage&q&f=false
Willsey, Joseph H. (Compiler), Charlton T. Lewis (Editor). Harper’s Book of Facts: A Classified History of the World. New York: Harper & Brothers Publishers, 1895. Accessed 9-4-2017 at: http://books.google.com/books?id=UcwGAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_v2_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q=&f=false
[1] “No one would ever know precisely how many Philadelphians died of yellow fever in 1793. Many of those who traditionally kept such count–ministers, sextons, and city officials–had either fled the city or been ill themselves. The best estimates put the number of victims at between four and five thousand men, women, and children.”
[2] Cites: Michael Ruane, “Trial By Epidemic,” Philadelphia Inquirer Magazine, Aug. 15, 1993, p 19. (Arnebeck, Bob. Destroying Angel: Benjamin Rush, Yellow Fever and the Birth of Modern Medicine. Web-published, 1999. At: http://www.geocities.com/bobarnebeck/table.html )
[3] Steffano-Davis writes that “In three months, some 5,000 residents died…” (Steffano-Davis, Stephanie. A Great Desolation: Yellow Fever, Smallpox and Influenza in American History. Masters Thesis, presented to faculty of Humboldt State University, May 2006, 120 pages, p. 13; citing Pernick 1972).
[4] Reprinted by General Books, Memphis, TN, 2010.
[5] “Carpenter, loc. Cit., p. 12. 4,044 deaths in 3 months in a population of 55,000. (Rush.) “The epidemic is said to have started in a sailors’ boarding house, where the crew of a French corsair (which had been contaminated at the West Indies) were stopping.”
[6] The Editor of the 1965 Time reprint of Powell’s 1949 book notes that “there were 4,044 known dead – that is, listed, named and identified. Powell sets the true figure much higher: at least 5,000 dead, or almost 10 per cent of the entire population.” “Editors’ Preface, p. xiv.
[7] Rush, Benjamin, MD. An Account of the Bilious remitting Yellow Fever as it appeared in the City of Philadelphia in the Year 1793. Philadelphia, Thomas Dobson, 1794.
[8] Cites: Carpenter, p. 12. 4,044 deaths in 3 months in a population of 55,000. (Rush).” (United States Marine Hospital Service, Treasury Department. Annual Report of the Supervising Surgeon-General of the Marine-Hospital Service of the United States for the Fiscal Year 1895 (Doc. No. 1811). Washington: GPO, 1896.
[9] The Carey statistic, upon which Sternberg apparently draws, is the total of an alphabetical listing of the names of 4,041 identified deceased. [The long title of this treatise is: A Short Account of the Malignant Fever Lately Prevalent in Philadelphia With a Statement of the Proceedings That took place on the subject, in different parts of the United States To which are added, Accounts of the Plague in London and Marseilles; And A List Of The Dead From August 1, to the middle of December, 1793.] An electronic copy was accessed 7-11-2013 at: http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/philadelphia/history/yellowfever1793.pdf
[10] Keating, J.M. A History of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1878 in Memphis, Tenn. Memphis: Howard, 1879.
[11] Sternberg writes (p. 720) that 325 died in Aug (Cites La Rouche), 1,442 in Sep, 1,976 in Oct, and 118 in Nov.
[12] Cites: Minutes of the Common Council of the City of N.Y., 1784-1831, N.Y., 1917, II, 203.