Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793 | Friends We Have Lost | 3
American History Tellers
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Philadelphia's Yellow Fever Crisis
As many as 5,000 Philadelphians died from yellow fever in just three months. Dr. Benjamin Rush refused a waiver from his belief that the fever originated locally,. blaming the city's foul summer air. But he was outnumbered, the majority of doctors in the college insisted the fever was imported. In mid-November, Printer Matthew Carey published a book about the epidemic that sold out within days. He lavished praise on white residents, hailing the heroism and sacrifice of clergymen, doctors, and the members of Merrick-Larksons Volunteer Committee but vilified black volunteers who stepped up to care for the sick. Richard Allen and Absalom Jones were infuriated by
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