Yellow Fever Exhibit Resources: Special Collection Materials

Portrait of Dr. Benjamin Rush, engraved by R.W. Dodson from a painting by Thomas Sully

Courtesy University of Pennsylvania Archives

The Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts contains a number of historic books relating to Philadelphia's 1793 Yellow Fever epidemic. Below is a selection of works that highlight how little was known about the disease in the 18th century, as shown by the various theories of origin and treatment held by physicians at the time:

• An Account of the Bilious Remitting Yellow Fever, as it Appeared in the City of Philadelphia, in the year 1793, by Benjamin Rush
  • Book chronicling Dr. Rush's personal observations of the Yellow Fever outbreak of 1793, advocating for his belief that the disease came from miasmas caused by city filth and that effective treatment consisted of blood letting and purging.
• A Description of the Malignant, Infectious Fever Prevailing at Present in Philadelphia; with an Account of the Means to Prevent Infection, and the Remedies and Method of Treatment, which have been found most successful, by William Currie
  • A medical book on Yellow Fever that contrasted Rush's beliefs. As a fellow of the College of Physicians, Currie's writings on the origins of Yellow Fever reflected those held by the College at large, that the disease was contagious person-to-person and brought to the city by merchant ships. 
• An Enquiry Into, and Observations Upon the Causes and Effects of the Epidemic Disease, which raged in Philadelphia from the month of August till towards the middle of December, 1793, by Jean Deveze.
  • Deveze was a French doctor serving at the Bush Hill Hospital during the Yellow Fever outbreak, who's experience treating the illness in Haiti informed his approach in Philadelphia. He followed what was known as the "French method", which focused on patients recieving rest and fresh air, as opposed to the bloodletting and purging Rush used for treatment under the model of Heroic Medicine. Written in both English and French, this work by Deveze recounts his observations and experiences during the 1793 outbreak.

As the location of the first medical library in America, the Pennsylvania Hospital Historic Library contains a number of rare and historic medical books relating to Yellow Fever and the 1793 outbreak:

• Observations upon the origin of the malignant bilious, or yellow fever in Philadelphia, and upon the means of preventing it : addressed to the citizens of Philadelphia, by Benjamin Rush
  • Written by Dr. Rush and directed towards the citizens of Philadelphia, this work details his belief that Yellow Fever originated domestically from miasmas caused by city filth and urges to Philadelphians to keep the city clean in order to prevent future outbreaks. 
• Remarks on some of the opinions of Dr. Rush respecting the yellow fever which prevailed in the city of Philadelphia in the year 1793, by William Patterson
  • While Dr. Rush's work during the Yellow Fever was widely admired by the public, it was also widely controversial amongst his peers. This can be seen in this work by fellow Founding Father, William Patterson, which critiques Rush's ideas on the origin of the disease and treatment methods.
• Select Pamphlets Respecting the Yellow Fever.
  • A collection of 5 pamphlets, published between 1794-1799, bound together into a single book of first-hand accounts and medical reports of the 1793 Yellow Fever outbreak.
• Lectures on Yellow Fever, Its Causes, Pathology & Treatment, by John Hastings
  • While we now know Yellow Fever is a zoonotic disease spread to humans by mosquitos, this collection of lectures, published in 1848, details the various theories on the diseases origins and treatment held at the time.