American Plague The Untold Story of Yellow Fever, the Epidemic That Shaped Our History Book

It begins with a piercing headache. Movement becomes painful and the skin burns. Fever rises to 104 or 105. The kidneys stop functioning, and abdominal cramps begin. In the final days due to internal hemorrhaging, the patient vomits black blood. The skin and eyes become bright yellow.

These are the terrifying effects of yellow fever, a disease that struck fear like no other among Americans. For over 200 years yellow fever would claim 100,000 deaths in the U.S. and shape the history of the country. In fact, the U.S. capital was moved to Washington, D.C. after an epidemic in Philadelphia in 1793.

The first third of The American Plague, my favorite part, discusses the devastation of the 1878 epidemic in Memphis. While the city celebrated its extravagant Mardi Gras celebration, it was oblivious to the fact that in a few months a ship would leave Cuba transporting sugar and death. All of the elements were in place for an outbreak- a mild winter, poor sanitation and drainage, and new immigrants with no previous exposure to the disease. In July the Emily B. Souder made its way up the Mississippi River with infected crew aboard. When the outbreak began in August, so began a mass exodus. 25,000 people fled the city within five days. In July before the outbreak, the population had been around 47,000. By September 19,000 people remained and 17,000 of those had yellow fever. By December it was over. 5,000 had perished in Memphis, and 20,000 total died in the Mississippi Delta. The descriptions of the city during those months is horrific. This epidemic changed the demographic landscape of a burgeoning city and the course of its future.

The remainder of the book focuses on the studies in Cuba by Walter Reed and his team to find the source and means of transmission of yellow fever. Ultimately, it is determined that the disease is spread by a vector, a mosquito. This part of the book was interesting because I was unaware of Walter Reed's contribution to medicine. It was surprising to read about medicine in the U.S. at the turn of the century because it was truly in its infancy.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys history and medical research. I found it engrossing and informative. I would rate it 4.5 because the author meticulously researched the material, even though at times the information was almost overwhelming.