About this title: In a summer of panic and death in 1878, more than half the population of Memphis, Tennessee, fled the yellow fever epidemic. In her account, Crosby profiles several scientists, some of whom died in their fight to identify the cause of this disease that remains a threat to this very day.
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Publisher: Berkley Publishing Group
Date published: 2006
ISBN-13:9780425212028ISBN:0425212025
Description: Good. Former Library book. Shows some signs of wear, and may have some markings on the inside. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy! read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Berkley Hardcover
Date published: 2006
ISBN-13:9780425212028ISBN:0425212025
Description: Very Good. 0425212025 Copy has been read but remains in nice & clean condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or high-lighting. Spine is tight; a clean read. Shelf wear to the book. HAS REMAINDER MARK. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Berkley Hardcover
Date published: 2006
ISBN-13:9780425212028ISBN:0425212025
Description: Fine. 0425212025 Excellent Condition First Edition Hard cover book with paper dust jacket cover! Clean pages, Dust jacket has no tears, mild shelf rubs, this book is Near NEW! Shop & Save With US. read more
Binding: Softcover
Publisher: Berkley Publishing Group
Date published: 2006
ISBN-13:9780425217757ISBN:0425217752
Description: Good. 2007-Paperback----Used-Good-Hall Street Books proudly ships from Brooklyn, NY. All orders are processed and shipped within 24 hours, M-F. 100% money back No-Worry guarantee with expedited delivery and delivery confirmation available. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Berkley Hardcover
Date published: 11/7/2006
ISBN-13:9780425212028ISBN:0425212025
Description: Very Good. 0425212025 HARDCOVER, NICE/CLEAN, HAS JUST A TAD COSMETIC EXTERIOR WEAR-BINDING TIGHT, PAGES CLEAN, NO HI-LIGHTING/UNDERLINING, MAY HAVE REMAINDER MARKS. read more
Publisher: Berkley Publishing Group
Date published: 2006
ISBN-13:9780425217757ISBN:0425217752
Description: Very Good. Great condition for a used book! Minimal wear. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy! read more
Binding: PAPERBACK
Publisher: Berkley Trade
Date published: 2006
ISBN-13:9780425217757ISBN:0425217752
Description: Very Good. 0425217752 Very good condition, minor wear. No major marks or damage. 100% satisfaction guaranteed. Great customer service and a no problem, EZ return policy. Real people, real service, since 1981. read more
Binding: Trade paperback
Publisher: Berkley Publishing Group
Date published: 2006
ISBN-13:9780425217757ISBN:0425217752
Description: Very good. No dust jacket as issued. VG+ Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. 368 p. Contains: Illustrations. Audience: General/trade. read more
Binding: Trade paperback
Publisher: Berkley Publishing Group
Date published: 2007
ISBN-13:9780425217757ISBN:0425217752
Description: Very good. No dust jacket as issued. Like new! ! Small nick of damage on the corner of the lower left side-but everything else look in new like condition! Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. 368 p. Contains: Illustrations. Audience: General/trade. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Berkley Hardcover
Date published: 2006
ISBN-13:9780425212028ISBN:0425212025
Description: New. 0425212025 Brand NEW First Edition Hard cover book with paper dust jacket cover! May have remainder dash. Shop & Save With US. read more
Binding: Trade paperback
Publisher: Berkley Publishing Group
Date published: 2007
ISBN-13:9780425217757ISBN:0425217752
Description: Very good. No dust jacket as issued. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. 368 p. Contains: Illustrations. Audience: General/trade. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Berkley Trade
Date published: 2007-09-04
ISBN-13:9780425217757ISBN:0425217752
Description: Very Good. This is a clean book in good condition, the binding is tight and uncreased, but there is some obvious edge wear and handling wear. The interior pages are clean and unmarked. No dog-eared pages. No water damage. read more
"Molly Caldwell Crosby has written a nice medical mystery--the causes and cure for the dread Yellow Fever.
Yellow Fever is a nasty disease, featuring high fever, severe headache, undue sensitivity to light, extreme pain, shutdown of kidneys, abdominal cramps, and so on. And, given the disease's name, (page 2) ". . .the skin grew a deep gold, the whites of the eyes turning brilliant yellow."
Yellow fever began its course in Africa, and was transported to the New World through the slave trade. The major part of the narrative begins in 1878, with the great breakout of Yellow Fever in Memphis, Tennessee. Crosby notes that (page 13) "By the end of that year, it would suffer losses greater than the Chicago fire, San Francisco earthquake, and Johnstown flood combined." The devastation was great. In July of 1878, the population of the city was around 47,000. By September, 19,000 remained in the city and 17,000 of them had Yellow Fever, if the statistics are to be believed. Chapter 4 aptly describers the situation: "A City of Corpses."
After the epidemic in Memphis, some scientists began to consider what the cause of the disease might be. Carlos Finley argued that mosquitoes were the cause (correctly); however, when he gave his presentation to a learned society, his stuttering etc. undermined his argument. He was labeled (page 85) "Mosquito Man" and a "crank" and a "crazy old man."
The next episode was the Spanish-American War. One byproduct of this was American soldiers in Cuba suffering from Yellow Fever. Dr. Walter Reed was named to head a team to determine causes and how to address the disease. Experimentation on humans (no wonder that we now have guidelines for research on human subjects) led to identification of a particular type of mosquito as the carrier. As time went on, a vaccine was developed. In the process of isolating the cause, however, many died, a number of whom were scientists who allows mosquitoes to bite them. Crosby quotes one doctor later saying that (page 223): "I can think of no other disease that killed so many scientists studying it."
The author concludes the volume by noting some recent outbreaks of Yellow Fever. Does this portend future outbreaks in the United States? Perhaps Crosby is a bit alarmist here. Nonetheless, this is a fine and relatively brief medical detective story, as Walter Reed and others tracked down the cause of this killer disease."
"Want to learn about the most horrible disease to affect our country before 1900? A great story about a disease I never realized the horror of - seriously, just as bad as Ebola, except slower. Those pesky mosquitoes!! The best part of the book comes at the end when the author focuses on the doctors who figured out what caused yellow fever. The story of Jesse Lazear will break your heart, and you'll learn why Walter Reed is so famous."
"i like this book but it focuses in just a couple of cases and talks more about the scientist and other people affected with yellow fever more than it does with the symptoms of yellow fever. That would be the only thing i did not really like about it but other than that it talks about how it affected Memphis, Tennessee and Cuba and other areas of the world but those two locations are were most of the story takes place and it talks about the efforts scientist made at the time and how hard it was to prove the theory that Yellow fever was spread through mosquitoes and it has other theories as well as strange remedies that people used at the time and how doctors and medicine was not seen as a respectable job to have.. A good book and at certain time it makes a connection between yellow fever and slaves because they were more resistant than whites and other immigrants and they also make a inference that if at the time the federal government had more power than state government alot of lives could had been saved and the ending of this book is spectacular"
"Want to learn about the most horrible disease to affect our country before 1900? A great story about a disease I never realized the horror of - seriously, just as bad as Ebola, except slower. Those pesky mosquitoes!! The best part of the book comes at the end when the author focuses on the doctors who figured out what caused yellow fever. The story of Jesse Lazear will break your heart, and you'll learn why Walter Reed is so famous."
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