Description
Book SynopsisThe end of a scourge
The prayer that has been mine for twenty years, that I might be permitted in some way or some time to do something to alleviate human suffering, has been answered!
--Major Walter Reed, writing to his wife, New Year''s Eve, 1900
As he wrote to his wife of his stunning success in the mission to identify the cause of yellow fever and find a way to eradicate the disease, Walter Reed had answered the prayers of millions. For more than 250 years, the yellow jack had ravaged the Americas, bringing death to millions and striking panic in entire populations. The very mention of its presence in a city or town produced instant chaos as thousands fled in terror, leaving the frail, the weak, and the ill to fend for themselves.
Yellow Jack tracks the history of this deadly scourge from its earliest appearance in the Caribbean 350 years ago, telling the compelling story of a few extraordinarily brave souls who struggled to understand a
Trade Review"A fascinating examination of how science works in the real world. This book may inspire future Walter Reeds to solve tomorrow's medical mysteries." (
Journal of College Science Teaching)
Table of ContentsPreface vii
Introduction: The Forgotten Scourge 1
1 Yellow Fever Comes to America 7
2 The Capital Under Siege 23
3 Nothing but a Yellow Fever 34
4 Yellow Fever Moves South 47
5 The Nation Threatened 60
6 Yellow Fever’s Odd Couple 75
7 Walter Reed 87
8 Spanish Bullets and Yellow Fever 101
9 The Opportunity of a Lifetime 135
10 “A Soldier’s Chances” 148
11 Putting It All Together 165
12 Affirmation 173
13 Presentation 189
14 Recognition 205
15 Historic Application 215
16 Yellow Fever after Walter Reed 224
Epilogue: After Cuba 240
Afterword: Yellow Fever Today 245
Acknowledgments 249
Notes 250
Bibliography 259
Index 271
Illustrations begin on page 123
