Answer Key
Background Notes for Fever 1793
Directions: Use the reading passages in the appendix of your Fever 1793 novel (pages 244-251) to complete the following sentences.
#1 Did the epidemic really happen?
• The epidemic of yellow fever started in 1793
• In 3 months, yellow fever killed 10 percent of Philadelphia’s population.
• Thousands of people fled the city to escape the disease.
#2Battle of the Doctors
• Both the stethoscope and the thermometer had not been invented for doctors to use at this time.
• At the start of the yellow fever epidemic about 80 doctors were practicing medicine in Philadelphia. Not all of them were properly trained.
• Some people followed Dr. Rush He gave people mercury, calomel, and jalap to make people throw up, hoping to rid their body of disease. He also drained blood from people’s bodies to rid them of the disease. Many people think that his methods actually killed many of his patients.
• Other people believed the French doctors knew how to treat yellow fever. They prescribed rest, fresh air, and lots of fluids. That was and still is the best way to treat yellow fever.
#3 Take Two Sponges and Call Me in the Morning
• In a desperate move to cure a disease they knew little about, people would soak sponges in vinegar and stick them up their noses. They also used vinegar to wash their hair and clothes in. Several even drank it. People hoped this strong liquid would kill all the germs from yellow fever.
• Guns and cannons were shot in the streets in hopes of clearing the air of disease.
• Beds were buried underground and then dug up in an effort to kill the disease.
• None of these methods worked. People kept getting sick until the frost killed off
the mosquitos that spread yellow fever.
#4Where are they buried?
• Some people are buried in churchyards and cemeteries, but most lie buried
anonymously in Washington’s Square.
#5 The Balloon
• The first hot air balloon was launched in 1793 in the city of Philadelphia.
• Everyone in the city stopped what they were doing to watch. The wind blew the balloon
15 miles, making this a very successful scientific experiment. The launch of
another flight in the hot air balloon was ruined because of the yellow fever
epidemic.
#6 The Amazing Peale Family
• The Peale family was a real family, although Nathaniel Benson is a fictional character. The
family was known as “The First Family of American Art”
• Peale not only had an interest in art; he opened the first natural history
museum in his home in the 1780s.
• The two famous explorers, Lewis and Clark donated
many items from their journey to Mr. Peale.
#7 Free African Society
• The Free African Society was founded in 1787 by Richard Allen and
Absalom Jones who were both born as slaves.
• The Free African Society was a mutual aid organization devoted to helping
widowed, ill, or out-of-work African Americans.
• It was also dedicated to abolishing slavery
• During the yellow fever, members of the Free African Society worked to care for all fever
victims. After all the charitable work the Free African Society did during the epidemic, they
were attacked in a pamphlet written by Matthew Carey. He accused
them of overcharging for burials and stealing from the sick.
• All the accusations were lies In response to the attack, the Free African
Society published their own pamphlet called “A Narrative of the Proceedings of Black People During the Late Awful Calamity in Philadelphia in 1793” which described what the African Americans had done to help their fellow citizens during the
epidemic.
#8 Coffeehouses
• Coffeehouses were very popular in this time period. People gathered in them to
conduct business, talk politics and catch up on the news.
• Owning and running a coffeehouse was a respectable business for a widow.
• The most famous coffeehouse in Philadelphia was called the London Coffee House
Several important figures of the time met here frequently.
#9 The French Influence
• The French sent money and aid to help the Americans in the American Revolution
• By 1793 the French had several problems of their own. America remained neutral
but many Americans supported the French.
• Many refugees from France came to America, making French fashion and
language very popular.
• During the epidemic the French doctors had the most effective treatments.
#10 Famous People Touched by the Fever (list each name & give 1 important detail about each)
Name / 1 important detailDolley Payne Todd Madison / First lady of the 4th president.
George Washington / Friend of his wife dies of the fever.
Dr. Benjamin Rush / Famous doctor who got the fever and survived.
Stephen Girard / Transformed Bush Hill to a safe hospital.
#11 To Market, To Market
• There were no refrigerators or freezers to keep food cool
during this time, so most people bought their food at the marketplace
• Farmers would pack their wagons with food and drive into Philadelphia.
• During the yellow fever epidemic, farmers were afraid to come into the city, so getting enough
food during the epidemic was a problem.
• Most people in the city were without food during the epidemic. Some neighboring towns
would donate food, firewood, and cash to help out.
#12 The Miraculous Moving Capital
• Washington, DC was not the first capital of the country. The capital moved several
times before settling there.
• The Continental Congress met for the first time in Philadelphia It was the
largest city and centrally located.
• After the government signed a Peace Treaty with the British, the capital was in New York.
• There was much debate about moving the capital, and finally the government decided to
settle on the Potomac River, which was accessible to many people.
• The government carved out pieces of Maryland and Virginia so that the
capital would not be in just one state, making it unfair.
• Philadelphia was the temporary home for the capital until the capital moved to
what is currently Washington DC in 1800.
#13 Fear and Panic
• There had been fevers in Philadelphia before, so most people were calm when the
fevers first began. As the death toll rose, people began to panic.
• The fever closed business and government. Men in handcarts heading to the burial ground
yelled out “Bring out your dead.”
• Although it is hard to imagine, many sick people were abandoned by their
families and thrown into the street Kindness seemed to evaporate.
• The brave people who stayed to help were from the Free African Society, those who
worked at Bush Hill, and members of the Mayors Committee. They are the
real heroes of this time.
#14 Yellow Fever Today
• Yellow fever still exists, but not in the United States
• Dr. Walter Reed discovered that mosquitos spread the disease.
• In the 1930s a vaccine was developed, but yellow fever still kills thousands a year in
Africa and parts of South America.