Yellow Fever In 1793, Philadelphia

In 1793, Philadelphia was the site of an terrible outbreak of yellow fever. This created a dire situation for the inhabitants. By July, the city's citizens were remarking on the amount of mosquitoes that swarmed around the dock area. Of course, the people of Phiadalea did not correlation of Yellow Fever and the bugs. Just this one epidemic wreaked havoc on this young city. Hardly a family was untouched.

Yellow fever, or the American Plague as it was known at the time, is a viral disease that begins with fever. It is like malaria in the way that it is carried and transferred by mosquitoes. Victims often turn yellow in the eyes and skin, which is where it disease gets its name. Yellow fever is still around today, especially in Africa. In America

By October about 100 people were dying per day. Dr. Benjamin Rush was one of the city's most popular doctors. He told Mayor Matthew Clarkson that unsanitary conditions in the city were causing the fever epidemic. Some people disagreed and blamed the refugees coming in from the Caribbean. Rush told the citizens to “quit the city” and more than 20,000 fled, including many government officials, including George Washington and Thomas Jefferson.

The summer was hot and dry in 1793, which made the streams very low, equipping the insects with an exceptional breeding ground. By July, the incredible amount of mosquitoes swarmed around the docks. Refugees escaping the Caribbean Islands brought the fever with them too. The mosquitoes multiplied like crazy and infected thousands. Doctors and scientists were unaware of the link between the bugs and the fast growing illness, so no one knew what to do.

The Yellow fever epidemic of 1793 was a awful event. More than 10% of the population died and many fled. The frost in the coming November was more than welcome as people could return to their homes and the deadly fever was gone. It would not be the last yellow fever epidemic, but it was the worst to ever occur in the United