In 1793, Philadelphia experienced a devastating disease now known as the yellow fever epidemic. Murphy’s compelling narrative leads readers through a medical mystery, a social history of Philadelphia (at the time the capital of the new nation), and a tribute to those Philadelphians, mostly African American, who did NOT flee to safer environs but stayed behind to care for the sick. As doctors looked for clues to understand the nature of the illness and the prognosis for its victims, they often disagreed on courses of treatment. Meanwhile, government leaders (those who remained in town) argued over how to respond to the crisis. Public health, it seems, was as much a political issue in our nation’s early days as it is now, as those in power directly affected the pace at which the disease would be controlled. Wonderful reproductions of old maps and drawings of the key figures of the time, as well as of primary sources such as newspaper articles, obituaries, letters, and church records, add additional interest to this drama-filled volume. The last chapter traces the research that has been done on yellow fever from the early 1800’s to the present and reminds readers that while scientists have traced the disease to mosquitoes, and a vaccine was developed in 1937, there is still no cure, and there will surely be new medical and public health crises in the future. An extensive resource bibliography rounds out this fascinating account. (Ages 10–14)

National Book Award Finalist:  An account of the disease that ravaged eighteenth-century Philadelphia, written and illustrated for young readers.
 
1793, Philadelphia: The nation’s capital and the largest city in North America is devastated by an apparently incurable disease, cause unknown…
 
This dramatic narrative describes the illness known as yellow fever and the toll it took on the city’s residents, relating the epidemic to the social and political events of the day and eighteenth-century medical beliefs and practices. Drawing on first-hand accounts, Jim Murphy spotlights the heroic role of Philadelphia’s free blacks in combating the disease, and the Constitutional crisis President Washington faced when he was forced to leave the city—and all his papers—to escape the deadly contagion. The search for the fever's causes and cure provides a suspenseful counterpoint to this riveting true story of a city under siege.
 
Winner of multiple awards, this thoroughly researched book offers a look at the conditions of cities at the time of our nation’s birth, and draws timely parallels to modern-day epidemics.
 
“A lavishly illustrated book, containing maps, newspaper columns and period illustrations…unflinchingly presents the horrors of the event as well as its heroes.”—The New York Times 
 
“Pair this work with Laurie Halse Anderson’s wonderful novel Fever 1793 and you’ll have students hooked on history.”—School Library Journal
 
“History, science, politics, and public health come together in this dramatic account of the disastrous yellow fever epidemic that hit the nation’s capital more than 200 years ago.”—Booklist