Can You Survive the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793?

1. Can You Survive the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793? Begin Brooke Menear

2. Hear ye! Hear ye! Yellow fever has hit Philadelphia! Hundreds are sick and dying! Symptoms

3. Signs and Symptoms of Yellow Fever • High fever • Chills • Headache • Vomiting • Jaundice • yellowing of • skin and whites • of eyes Causes

4. Causes of Yellow Fever • tropical disease • spread by infected female mosquitoes • symptoms begin 3 to 6 days after being bitten by infected mosquito Prevention & Treatment

5. Prevention and Treatment for Yellow Fever Treatment in the 1790s • Bleeding a patient—Doctors would take up to 20 ounces of blood at a time from patients • Purging—Doctors would give medication that would make a patient vomit or have diarrhea Prevention in the 1790s • Soaked sponges in vinegar and stuck them up their noses • Washed hair and clothes in vinegar and drank vinegar • Fired guns and cannons in the streets so the gunpowder would cleanse the air • Chewed garlic Choose a character

6. You are a resident of Philadelphia in 1793. Choose a persona. Low-middle class townsperson Upper class townsperson Doctor

7. Dr. Benjamin Rush I practice medicine, am a teacher, and am also involved in politics. I support the abolition of slavery, religion in schools, education for women, and I helped found the first antislavery society in America. I treat over 100 patients a day during this yellow fever epidemic in Philadelphia. I believe that all diseases stem from fever, and I favor bloodletting and purging as treatment. Information taken from The Friends of Poquessing Watershed Inc. of Philadelphia and Bucks County Called to a patient’s home

8. Choose a persona Blacksmith (male) Coffeeshop Owner (female)

9. Choose a persona Congressman Newspaper printer

10. You arrive at the Shewall home. Mrs. Mary Shewall has been feeling ill for the past two days. She has a fever and has a bad cough. What is your diagnosis, Doctor? Summer grippe Yellow fever

11. Some of your options to treat your patients is bleeding them and inducing vomiting. Bleeding

12. Mary Shewall did not have yellow fever. She had a summer grippe, which is just a common cold. Mary will be just fine! She will soon be back to taking care of her family. Excellent diagnosis, Doctor. Called to patient’s home

13. Signs and Symptoms of Yellow Fever • High fever • Chills • Headache • Vomiting • Jaundice • yellowing of • skin and whites • of eyes Treat for a summer grippe? Treat for yellow fever?

14. Blacksmith Click here for a job description of a colonial blacksmith. After finishing a long day of work, you… attend a Free African Society meeting visit a sick friend

15. Coffeeshop Coffeeshops are popular places for people to conduct business, talk politics, and catch up on news of the day. After finishing a long day of work, you… are invited to tea at the Ogilvie mansion spend time with your family

16. The Free African Society The Free African Society was founded in 1787 by Richard Allen and Absalom Jones. Both men were born slaves and eventually became free. They founded the society to help widowed, ill or out-of-work Africans, and to abolish slavery. Society members worked day and night to help fever victims. At the meeting, you are asked to… Go to the town meeting to share details about the FAS visit the sick and take supplies to them

17. You take food to your sick friend. You realize that your friend is very ill so you decide that sponge bath might help lower the fever. The sponge bath does not seem to work, and the fever is getting higher. You decide to take your friend to Bush Hill. Travel to Bush Hill

18. Before you are able to relax and enjoy time with your family, you must finish the chores around the house. First on your list is churning butter. Churn the butter

19. Before you can go to tea at the Ogilvie mansion, you must find a more suitable dress to wear than your everyday dress that you wear to work in the coffee house. After all, these are the Ogilvie’s! You simply can not go to their beautiful home dressed in your old dress. Or do you save the money and embellish an old ball gown that you have had for years? Do you take all of the money you have saved in the past two months and purchase a new bombazine gown? Bombazine gown Embellish old gown

20. You continue to stay dedicated to the Free African Society despite the troubles the organization faces. People accuse the organization of misusing the donations that they receive. The organization’s members often face discrimination. You continue to visit fever victims until the first frost arrives and kills the yellow fever virus. Review information about yellow fever and begin the story again Choose a new persona and begin the story again

21. At the town meeting, several citizens do not want to hear what you have to say about the Free African Society. Some go so far as to call you derogatory names and tell you to leave. Despite your experience with taking care of fever victims, the townspeople doubt the information that you try to tell them about yellow fever and how serious a disease it is. You decide to leave the meeting because your time is better spent helping more fever victims. You visit the sick and take supplies to them.

22. Bush Hill was a mansion that was turned into a hospital by the city to help fever victims. It is not a well-run establishment. There are criminals who prey on the sick and weak. Dying bodies lay everywhere. But, some medical attention is better than none at all. You reluctantly leave your friend at Bush Hill.

23. A butterchurn was used to turn cream into butter. Cream (the richest and thickest part of milk) is poured into the container. Then, you must constantly stir or churn the cream until it turns into butter. You finish churning butter and must now wash the clothes.

24. Washing clothes is done by hand in a large tub of water and soap. Once you finish scrubbing the clothing by hand, you run each piece through the mangle to help wring out the water. This helps the clothing dry faster. Now it is time to tend the garden.

25. Tending the garden includes pulling weeds, picking the produce that is ripe, and hauling water from the well to water the plants. Water would have to be hauled from the well and taken into the house as well to use for cooking, cleaning, and bathing. Your day is not over yet! You still need to take care of the children.

26. The older children help you with the chores, but they also need time to complete their school work. The younger children need to be fed and put to bed. Now it is finally time for you to rest so that you will be ready to get up early in the morning to start your day all over again. Plus, you need to stay healthy. You do not want to come down with the fever. Review information about yellow fever and begin the story again Choose a new persona and begin the story again

27. You decide to purchase a bombazine gown. This is more in the style that the upper class (like the Ogilvie’s) wear. While you will feel more comfortable matching their style, you have also spent most of the money that you had been saving. What will you do in the near future if you need to purchase food or pay a doctor if someone in your family comes down with yellow fever? You ride in your horse-drawn carriage to the Ogilvie’s for tea.

28. You decide that embellishing your old dress is the more economical choice. Because money is already tight and the threat of yellow fever is everywhere, you feel more comfortable not splurging on a new dress for one afternoon of tea. You walk to the Ogilvie’s for tea.

29. You arrive at the Ogilvie’s for tea. Despite all of your efforts to arrive to the Ogilvie’s for tea and to fit in with them, they are very rude to you. They judge you because of your clothing, your job, and simply because you are not in the same class as they are. Review information about yellow fever and begin the story again Choose a new persona and begin the story again

30. President Washington is in his second term, and I think he is doing a wonderful job. He has been talking about ending our session and leaving the capital until talk of this fever is over. I know we still have a lot of work to do, but I also do not want to get yellow fever—if that is indeed what is causing all of the trouble. You go to the newspaper printer to give him information from the President. You take a break from work and go to the coffeeshop.

31. As a newspaper printer, I am responsible for supplying the citizens of Philadelphia with local news and news from around the country. The public relies on my newspaper to keep them up to date with what is going on in society. I hear all of the news in Philadelphia, and rumors about the seriousness of yellow fever are rampant. You decide that the rumors are not what they seem and stay in Philadelphia. You decide that the rumors are true. You and your family flee to the countryside

32. You take a memo from President Washington to the newspaper printer. The president has decided to end the current session of congress and leave Philadelphia until the fever subsides. You decide to leave the city as well. Before you leave the city, you stop one last time at the coffeeshop.

33. Coffeeshops are popular places for people to conduct business, talk politics, and catch up on news of the day. You begin telling a group of men about President Washington’s plans to leave the city until the fever is over. They argue with you that the rumors are not as serious as they seem. You decide to go home to your family instead of arguing about the fever.

34. Coffeeshops are popular places for people to conduct business, talk politics, and catch up on news of the day. You begin telling a group of men about President Washington’s plans to leave the city until the fever is over. They argue with you that the rumors are not as serious as they seem. Review information about yellow fever and begin the story again Choose a new persona and begin the story again

35. You and your family flee Philadelphia. Along your travels, you are stopped by some townspeople from Pembrook. They will not let you pass through their town for fear that you or a family member has yellow fever. They are holding guns, so you decide not to press your luck. You decide to go back to Philadelphia to take your chances with yellow fever. You leave Pembrook and head toward a different town.

36. You stay in Philadelphia because you think this fever, like many others, will pass quickly. However, one of your children comes down with yellow fever. The doctors can do nothing to help, and your child dies. You leave the body outside for the deathcart to pick up on its next round through the city. You now decide to take the rest of your family and flee the city.

37. You arrive back in Philadelphia to find that thieves have broken in to your house. You pick up the pieces, make the best of it, and wait out the fever. Review information about yellow fever and begin the story again Choose a new persona and begin the story again

38. You and your family finally arrive safely in the country. There are many other families that you know from the city who are there in an attempt to escape the fever also. You decide to stay there until the first frost to be sure the fever is gone before you return to Philadelphia. Review information about yellow fever and begin the story again Choose a new persona and begin the story again

39. Twin boys have fallen ill. They both have high fevers, are vomiting, and their eyes and skin have a yellow tinge. You have two options. Do you treat them for yellow fever? Or do you consult another physician for advice? Treat for yellow fever Consult

40. Bleeding a patient was a common treatment for various illnesses. Doctors thought that if the illness was inside the body, taking blood from a patient would allow the illness to leave the body. Sometimes, doctors would take 20 ounces of blood from a patient at one time. Purging The average bottle of soda is 20 ounces.

41. Dr. Jean Deveze, a refugee from Haiti, has much experience treating yellow fever. He took over running Bush Hill—the mansion that is now a hospital for yellow fever victims. He treats all of his patients very humanely, but says that the best treatment for yellow fever is to give the patient plenty of fluids, fresh air, and rest. His methods seem to work very well on his patients. Review information about yellow fever and begin the story again Choose a new persona and begin the story again

42. Bleeding a patient was a common treatment for various illnesses. Doctors thought that if the illness was inside the body, taking blood from a patient would allow the illness to leave the body. Sometimes, doctors would take 20 ounces of blood from a patient at one time. Purging The average bottle of soda is 20 ounces.

43. Purging is when doctors would give medication that would make a patient vomit or have diarrhea. Doctors thought that if the disease was inside of you, making you sick, then getting it out of your body would make you feel better. However, loss of fluid can make a person weak. If the patient is already weak from the fever, losing too much fluid could make them even worse. Medication

44. Doctors tried giving their patients calomel (mercury) or herbs such as jalap to induce vomiting and diarrhea. Again, doctors thought that if the disease was inside of you, making you sick, then getting it out of your body would make you feel better. Now that you have looked at the ways to treat yellow fever, take a look at the symptoms again just to be sure you make the best diagnosis. Review yellow fever symptoms

45. Bleeding and purging weakened your patient even more. As a result, your patient died. You are called to a patient’s home.

46. Bleeding a patient was a common treatment for various illnesses. Doctors thought that if the illness was inside the body, taking blood from a patient would allow the illness to leave the body. Sometimes, doctors would take 20 ounces of blood from a patient at one time. Purging The average bottle of soda is 20 ounces.

47. Purging is when doctors would give medication that would make a patient vomit or have diarrhea. Doctors thought that if the disease was inside of you, making you sick, then getting it out of your body would make you feel better. However, loss of fluid can make a person weak. If the patient is already weak from the fever, losing too much fluid could make them even worse. Medication

48. Doctors tried giving their patients calomel (mercury) or herbs such as jalap to induce vomiting and diarrhea. Again, doctors thought that if the disease was inside of you, making you sick, then getting it out of your body would make you feel better. Now that you have looked at the ways to treat yellow fever, take a look at the symptoms again just to be sure you make the best diagnosis. Review yellow fever symptoms

49. One of the twin boys dies due to improper treatment. Remind yourself again of the symptoms of yellow fever. Symptoms

50. Signs and Symptoms of Yellow Fever • High fever • Chills • Headache • Vomiting • Jaundice • yellowing of • skin and whites • of eyes You decide to consult another physician to try to help you save the other twin boy. Consult