An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793
- Clarion Books 2003
- 165p.
It's 1793, and there's an invisible killer roaming the streets of Philadelphia. The city's residents are fleeing in fear. This killer has a name--yellow fever--but everything else about it is a mystery. Its cause is unknown and there is no cure. This powerful dramatic account by award-winning author Jim Murphy traces the devastating course of the epidemic. An American Plague offers a fascinating glimpse into the conditions in American cities at the time of our nation's birth while drawing thought-provoking parallels to modern-day epidemics. History, science, politics, and public health come together in this dramatic account of the disastrous yellow fever epidemic that hit the nation's capital more than 200 years ago. Drawing on firsthand accounts, medical and non-medical, Murphy re-creates the fear and panic in the infected city, the social conditions that caused the disease to spread, and the arguments about causes and cures.
9780395776087
Boston Globe-Horn Book Award, Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Award, James Madison Book Award, A National Book Award Finalist, Orbis Pictus Award, A Newbery Honor Book Disastrous yellow fever epidemic Medicine Non-fiction Pennsylvania History 1775-1865 Public health Sickness Yellow fever Yellow fever Pennsylvania Philadelphia History 18th century Boston Globe-Horn Book Award Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Award James Madison Book Award Orbis Pictus Award for Outstanding Non-fiction for Children A Newbery Honor Book