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The American Plague: The Untold Story of Yellow Fever, The Epidemic That Shaped
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The American Plague: The Untold Story of Yellow Fever, The Epidemic That Shaped Our History Paperback - 2007

by Molly Caldwell Crosby

In this account, a journalist traces the course of yellow fever, stopping in 1878 Memphis to "vividly [evoke] the Faulkner-meets-'Dawn of the Dead' horrors,"*-and moving on to today's strain of the killer virus.

Over the course of history, yellow fever has paralyzed governments, halted commerce, quarantined cities, moved the U.S. capital, and altered the outcome of wars. During a single summer in Memphis alone, it cost more lives than the Chicago fire, the San Francisco earthquake, and the Johnstown flood combined.

In 1900, the U.S. sent three doctors to Cuba to discover how yellow fever was spread. There, they launched one of history's most controversial human studies. Compelling and terrifying, The American Plague depicts the story of yellow fever and its reign in this country-and in Africa, where even today it strikes thousands every year. With "arresting tales of heroism,"** it is a story as much about the nature of human beings as it is about the nature of disease.


Summary

In this account, a journalist traces the course of yellow fever, stopping in 1878 Memphis to "vividly [evoke] the Faulkner-meets-'Dawn of the Dead' horrors,"*-and moving on to today's strain of the killer virus.

Over the course of history, yellow fever has paralyzed governments, halted commerce, quarantined cities, moved the U.S. capital, and altered the outcome of wars. During a single summer in Memphis alone, it cost more lives than the Chicago fire, the San Francisco earthquake, and the Johnstown flood combined.

In 1900, the U.S. sent three doctors to Cuba to discover how yellow fever was spread. There, they launched one of history's most controversial human studies. Compelling and terrifying, The American Plague depicts the story of yellow fever and its reign in this country-and in Africa, where even today it strikes thousands every year. With "arresting tales of heroism,"** it is a story as much about the nature of human beings as it is about the nature of disease.

Details

  • Title The American Plague: The Untold Story of Yellow Fever, The Epidemic That Shaped Our History
  • Author Molly Caldwell Crosby
  • Binding Paperback
  • Edition [ Edition: repri
  • Pages 400
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher Berkley Books, E Rutherford, New Jersey, U.S.A.
  • Date September 4, 2007
  • ISBN 9780425217757 / 0425217752
  • Weight 0.79 lbs (0.36 kg)
  • Dimensions 8.2 x 5.52 x 1.1 in (20.83 x 14.02 x 2.79 cm)
  • Ages 18 to UP years
  • Grade levels 13 - UP
  • Library of Congress subjects Communicable diseases - History, Epidemics - History
  • Dewey Decimal Code 614.541

About the author

Molly Caldwell Crosby is the national bestselling author of Asleep: The Forgotten Epidemic That Remains One of Medicine's Greatest Mysteries and The American Plague: The Untold Story of Yellow Fever, the Epidemic That Shaped Our History, which has been nominated for several awards. Crosby holds a master's degree in nonfiction and science writing from Johns Hopkins University and previously worked for National Geographic magazine. Her writing has appeared in Newsweek, Health, and USA Today, among others.
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The American Plague: The Untold Story of Yellow Fever, The Epidemic That Shaped Our History

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

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