“No one noticed that the church bells were tolling more often than usual to announce one death, and then another. They rang for Dr. Hugh Hodge’s little daughter, for Peter Aston, for John Weyman, for Mary Shewell, and for a boy named McNair. No one knew that a killer was already moving through their streets with them, an invisible stalker that would go house to house until it had touched everyone, rich or poor, in some terrible way.” (p. 9)
Murphy, Jim. An American plague: the true and terrifying story of the yellow fever epidemic of 1793. New York: Clarion Books. 2003.
Genre: Nonfiction
Review:
A deadly fever spread throughout Philadelphia in 1793. They weren’t sure what caused it, they didn’t know how to cure it and they didn’t know how to stop it and more and more were dying every day. At the time, Philadelphia was our nation’s capitol and when the fever hit most government officials—including the President himself—fled the city. Others fled too, but many were unable to leave. Doctors began arguing in the paper about whose “cure” was the best and others refused to treat or even go near fever patients and all the while the death toll rose and rose.
This is an interesting look at an epidemic that many don’t know much about. Many fascinating historical facts are discussed and pictures and newspaper articles are scattered throughout. This is a great source of information about the time period and the author includes his sources in the back of the book for those interested in further reading. This book could be paired with the fiction book Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson.