There were political ramifications, being as philadelphia was then the nations capital, and even president george washington had to flee center city. Fever 1793 fever 1793 was written by laurie halse anderson, and first published in 2000. Published in 2000, fever 1793 is a young adult novel that tells the story of a 14yearold girl named mattie cook, who fights to survive the yellow fever epidemic of 1793 in philadelphia. The relationship between the mosquito and the spread of yellow fever was conclusively demonstrated in 1900 by major walter reed in cuba following the spanishamerican war. The vast majority of them died of yellow fever, making the epidemic in the city of 50,000 people one of the most severe in united states history. Published in 2000, fever 1793 is a young adult novel that tells the story of a 14 yearold girl named mattie cook, who fights to survive the yellow fever epidemic. The online exhibition features graphic and textual primary sources with accompanying narratives, depicting how yellow fever, then without any known cause, affected the city and its citizens. Fever 1793 is based on the actual yellow fever epidemic that hit philadelphia and wiped out some five thousand people. This book tells the story of a yellow fever epidemic which hit philadelphia in 1793, and killed several thousand residents. Benjamin rush, who led the fight against the plague of yellow fever in philadelphia of 1793. The yellow fever epidemic of 1793 forever changed philadelphia. In 1793 a disastrous plague of yellow fever paralyzed philadelphia, killing thousands of residents and bringing the nations capital city to a standstill. Fourteenyearold mattie cook is ambitious, adventurous, and sick to death of listening to her mother.
The death toll from a yellow fever epidemic in philadelphia hits 100 on october 11, 1793. In addition, the section on afroamericans as nurses is wrong. A better one is the american plague by molly crosby. In this psychological portrait of a city in terror, j. Benjamin rush, a prominent philadelphia physician and signer of the declaration of independence, split from many of his medical peers over the suspected. Inspired in part by the reallife yellow fever epidemic of 1793 and the historical fictional account in the book fever 1793 by laurie halse anderson, the. The yellow fever epidemic historical society of pennsylvania. The question and answer section for fever 1793 is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel. The great plague of yellow fever in philadelphia in 1793 by j. Benjamin rush linked the epidemic to a shipment of coffee beans left to rot on the arch street wharf.
Yellow fever attacks philadelphia, 1793, eyewitness to history. During the summer of 1793, mattie cook lives above the family coffee shop with her widowed mother and grandfather. Arch street ferry, philadelphia, in the city of philadelphia, engraving by william russell birch, philadelphia, 1800 courtesy library of congress, prints and photographs division. On august 19, 1793, the first fatality of yellow fever, peter aston, became a topic of general conversation according to mathew carey, irishborn american publisher and first hand witness to the beginning of the plague. A bustling center of international trade and commerce that welcomed people, goods, and pathogens from around the world, philadelphians were wellacquainted with infectious disease prior to. Powells detailed account of what went on in philadelphia in 1793 is full of striking parallels to the current global pandemic. It is a historical novel about a 14 year old girl, matilda, trying to survive an outbreak of yellow fever.
This video is about yellow fever and how it is relevent to the history of the united stated. Politics of yellow fever in alexander hamiltons america. Philadelphia november 14, hartford courant hartford, ct, december 9, 1793. Her body is changing, she cant stand the sound of her mothers voice, and she has a mega crush on a cute painter guy named.
How many people got sick with yellow fever in 1793. Encyclopedia of greater philadelphia fever 1793 novel. Politics of yellow fever in alexander hamiltons america, produced by the u. Fever, 1793 summary matilda mattie cook is a fourteenyearold girl living above a coffeehouse in philadelphia with her mother, grandfather a former military man, a parrot named king george, and an orange cat named silas. She wants to turn the cook coffeehouse into the finest business in philadelphia, the capital of the new united states. Inspired in part by the reallife yellow fever epidemic of 1793 and the historical fictional account in the book fever 1793 by laurie halse anderson, the constitutionals new yellow fever tour is a walking journey. Famed philadelphia physician benjamin rush, who helped. The most severe, and one of the most deadly in american history, occurred in 1793, when an estimated 5,000 inhabitants died. Around 17,000 of the citys 45,000 population left for the countryside, while an estimated 5,000 died as a result of the virus, which peaked in early october. At first, many residents believed it was simply a common autumnal illness. Mattie cook lives with her mother and grandfather above the familys coffee shop when the historic 1793 yellow fever epidemic hits philadelphia. Yellow fever spreads throughout the cities, including philadelphia, where mattie cook lives. Young matildas father died before the fever outbreak, leaving her small family to fend for themselves by running a coffeehouse. I love historical fiction and this book was very interesting in describing the 1793 yellow fever plague in philadelphia through the eyes of young 14 year old mattie.
Yellow fever, or american plague as it was known at the time, is a viral disease that begins with fever and muscle pain. In the summer of 1793, the disease struck philadelphia, pennsylvania the u. Though the initial impact was gloom and dread, great adaptations were made by the people of philadelphia. Philadelphia s population is decimated by an outbreak of yellow fever in 1793. Inspired in part by the reallife yellow fever epidemic of 1793 and the historical fictional account in the book fever 1793 by laurie halse anderson, the constitutionals new yellow fever tour is a walking journey through old city philadelphia featuring the stories, sites and circumstances of the evil epidemic which killed nearly 5,000 people. The book is both wellwritten and wellresearched, filled with details about the plague and its effect on all aspects of life in philadelphia starting in the. Grade 610if surviving the first 20 years of a new nationhood werent challenge enough, the yellow fever epidemic of 1793, centering in philadelphia, was a crisis. Origins yellow fever is a tropical disease, and at that point was most commonly found in places such as africa or central america. Oct 08, 2019 the death toll from a yellow fever epidemic in philadelphia hits 100 on october 11, 1793. Smith and paul sivitz, montana state university yellow fever broke out in epidemic proportion in 1793, 1797, 1798, and 1799.
In 1793 philadelphia, sixteenyearold matilda cook, separated from her sick mother, learns about perseverance and selfreliance when she is forced to cope with the horrors of a yellow fever epidemic. Matties mother and grandfather own a coffeehouse in philadelphia and that is where mattie spends most of her days. Around 17,000 of the citys 45,000 population left for the countryside, while an estimated 5,000 died as a result of the. National library of medicine, provides a multidisciplinary perspective on the yellow fever outbreak in philadelphia in 1793. How many people got sick with yellow fever in 1793 philadelphia.
Philadelphias population is decimated by an outbreak of yellow fever in 1793. It was carried to philadelphia in ships full of refugees from hati then called saint domonigue. The death toll from a yellow fever epidemic in philadelphia hits 100 on this day in 1793. When the disease arrived in philadelphia in 1793, the country faced its first major. There were no sewers to carry waste and dirty water away, so the danger of diseases such as chorlera and yellow fever was very real. On august 19, 1793, the first fatality of yellow fever, peter aston, became a topic of general conversation according to mathew carey, irishborn american. Excerpts from diaries of people living in philadelphia during the yellow fever epidemic appear on each chapters opening page. The pennsylvania center for the book yellow fever epidemic of 1793. Laurie halse andersons fever, 1793 is a novel about a fourteenyearold girl named matilda mattie cook who comes of age during the infamous yellow fever epidemic in philadelphia in 1793. An epidemic of fever sweeps through the streets of 1793 philadelphia in this novel from laurie halse anderson where the plot rages like the epidemic itself the new york times book. Few disease outbreaks in the history of early america proved as tragic as the philadelphia yellow fever epidemic of summer, 1793, and fewer still have lingered longer in historical memory. Mysterious disease overwhelms medical system in 1793. When yellow fever emerged in philadelphia in 1793, dr.
Diagnosing and treating yellow fever in philadelphia, 1793. The summer of 1793 was unusually dry and hot in philadelphia. What a story, all about a yellow fever epidemic that raged through philadelphia in 1793and how the population reacted to it. It was carried to philadelphia in ships full of refugees from hati then.
Americas oldest quarantine hospital tied to philadelphia. In 1793, the cook coffeehouse outside philadelphia is a haven for those fleeing from the fever sweeping across the mosquitoinfested city. What was the name of the little girl mattie took in. Yellow fever tour the constitutional walking tour of philadelphia. When in 1855 a french doctor published an 8page history of yellow fever in philadelphia, covering outbreaks from 1699 to 1854, he devoted only a few pages to the 1793 epidemic. Yellow fever, or american plague as it was known at the time. The city founded by william penn the largest in the nation, with some 50,000 residents was still the capital of the united states, pending completion of the new city of washington being built to the south. Lindsey np, rabe ib, miller er, fischer m, staples je. Join us for an audio journey back in time, visiting five sites around philadelphias historic old city to learn about the 1793 yellow fever outbreak.
Fever is a book, which takes place in 1793, just after the american revolution. What does mattie always remember and look forward to. Mattie and her grandfather flee the city, and try to escape into the country where the air is clean. Diagnosing and treating yellow fever in philadelphia, 1793 a bustling center of international trade and commerce that welcomed people, goods, and pathogens from around the world, philadelphians were wellacquainted with infectious disease prior to the 1793 outbreak. The book is both wellwritten and wellresearched, filled with details about the plague and its effect on all aspects of life in philadelphia starting in the summer of 1793. 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. An account of the bilious remitting yellow fever, as it appeared in the city of philadelphia, in the year 1793, benjamin rush, philadelphia, 1794 courtesy national library of medicine dr.
Eliza, a free black woman, is the coffeehouse cook. Yellow fever tour the constitutional walking tour of. If you want characters of great strength on the one hand and great cads on the other, this book has that, too. Fourteenyearold mattie cook has just lost her childhood playmate to the fever and struggles to keep her family and her familys business alive.
The problem in the book fever 1793 is the outbreak of yellow fever in philadelphia in the year 1793. During the 1793 yellow fever epidemic in philadelphia, 5,000 or more people were listed in the official register of deaths between august 1 and november 9. Nearly 100 years later, in the late summer of 1793, refugees from a yellow fever epidemic in the caribbean fled to philadelphia. Hospitals, isolation hospitals, and orphanages were built. Fever 1793 by laurie halse anderson about the book august 1793. In 1793, philadelphia, pennsylvania, then the nations capital, experienced the first major outbreak of yellow fever in the united states. The true and terrifying story of the yellow fever epidemic of 1793 clarion books, 2003, 165 pages jim murphys experience as an author of nonfiction books for young readers serves him well in his recent history of philadelphias fearsome yellow fever epidemic of 1793. The revised global yellow fever risk map and recommendations for vaccination, 2010. The 1793 yellow fever epidemic in philadelphia was devastating for a number of reasons. This epidemic infected and killed about 10% of the population, which at the time was about. Adverse event reports following yellow fever vaccination, 2007.
Mattie spends her days avoiding chores and making plans to turn the family business into the finest philadelphia has ever seen. See more ideas about middle school novels, fever book and yellow fever. In 1793, philadelphia was struck with the worst outbreak of yellow fever ever recorded in north america. Readers encounter the harrowing experience of the 1793 yellow fever epidemic. It is spread by mosquitos and is still common in south america and africa. In 1793, when yellow fever hit, doctors disagreed about the source of the disease and how to treat it. Mar 08, 2015 this video is about yellow fever and how it is relevent to the history of the united stated. In 1793, its proponents blamed the yellow fever epidemic on the miasma from a shipment of rotting coffee that had been dumped at the docks. The fever took a devastating toll on the city as nearly. One of those people affected by the fever is mattie cook.
In 1793, an example, a yellow fever epidemic in philadelphia. Among the other comments rush made in 1793 was one about refugees from the french west indies escaping infection. Matilda mattie cook is a fourteenyearold girl living above a coffeehouse in philadelphia with her mother, grandfather a former military man, a parrot named king george, and an orange cat named silas. After matties mother becomes ill, grandfather takes mattie to the countryside to stay with friends. Yellow fever epidemics became seen as a national crisis. There are others on yellow fever, including bring out your dead. See more ideas about yellow fever, 7th grade ela and historical fiction. Simon and schuster books for young readers published andersons novel fever 1793 in 2000, an historical novel set in philadelphia during the postrevolutionary war. As the citys physicians and civic leaders are fight back. Yellow fever is a historical fiction book that describes the epidemic in philadelphia, pennsylvania which killed roughly 10% of the population during the sweltering summer of 1793.
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