Epidemics -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia

Scope and Contents The collection includes a reply by Benjamin Rush and twelve other Philadelphia physicians, Charles Caldwell, William Dewees, John Redman Coxe, Philip Syng Physick, James Reynolds, Francis Bowes Sayre, John C. Otto, William Boys, Samuel Cooper, James Stuart, Felix Pascalis Ouviere, and Joseph Strong, to inquiry of Thomas Mifflin on 1797 yellow fever epidemic in Philadelphia. Rush maintains yellow fever is identical with bilious remitting fever of warm climates, discusses source of 1797 outbreak...

Scope and Contents Chervin, 10 May 1821, requests Hartshorne to relate his experiences and opinion concerning the contagiousness of yellow fever. Hartshorne replies, 22 May 1821, that he can find no evidence for contagiousness and theorizes that yellow fever is tied to excessive summer heat in Philadelphia and mentions his trip to Batavia (1806-1807) where the disease is less violent due to sea breezes. Hartshorne then describes the outbreak of yellow fever in Philadelphia in 1820 and the evacuation of the Water...

Scope and Contents Autograph letter signed from Samuel Coates in Philadelphia to Joseph Paschall, 25 Sept. 1793, describing family matters, Philadelphia Yearly Meeting of 1793, and conditions in city during yellow fever epidemic. Coates lists acquaintances who are recovering, ill, or dead and mentions treating the disease with specific of Benjamin Rush.

Overview In 1793, the yellow fever epidemic gripped Philadelphia, followed by smaller outbreaks in 1794, 1797, and 1798. Over 5,000 residents died during the first outbreak. At this time, the nation’s capital was located in Philadelphia. To avoid the “universal terror,” George Washington and Congress fled the city for the outlying suburbs. However, most residents did not have the means to re-locate. Benjamin Rush (1746-1813), a Philadelphia physician, refused to abandon the city. Rush...