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Start Over Subject Epidemics -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia

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Robinson Family papers, 1723 - circa 1980 (inclusive)

Extent:
3.25 linear ft. (6 boxes, 3 volumes)
Abstract:
Primarily the letters of Mary Robinson Morton (1757-1829), a member of the Society of Friends, reflecting the social and cultural attitudes of the day.

Held at: Haverford College Quaker & Special Collections [Contact Us]

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Yellow Fever Epidemic Correspondence, 1794-1799 (inclusive)

Extent:
1 folder
Abstract:
In 1793, the yellow fever epidemic gripped Philadelphia, followed by smaller outbreaks in 1794, 1797, and 1798. Over 5,000 residents died during the first outbreak. At this time, the nation's capital was located in Philadelphia. To avoid the "universal terror," George Washington and Congress fled the city for the outlying suburbs. However, most residents did not have the means to re-locate. Benjamin Rush (1746-1813), a Philadelphia physician, refused to abandon the city. Rush believed the outbreak stemmed from Philadelphia's unsanitary conditions and rotting vegetables. He performed bloodletting procedures on infected patients, curing about 6,000 people. While Rush was adamant that he had identified the origins of the disease and developed its panacea, it would be another century until the epidemic was linked to a mosquito bite, and a half-century more until a cure was developed. African Americans also played a vital role in attending to the sick. African Americans were believed...(see more)

Held at: Historical Medical Library of The College of Physicians of Philadelphia [Contact Us]

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Benjamin Smith letterbook, 1793

Extent:
.02 linear ft. (1 volume)
Abstract:
This collection is comprised of the single handwritten letterbook of Benjamin Smith. The volume contains personal correspondence, primarily addressed to Smith's father, Daniel, in Burlington, New Jersey, between August 25 and October 17, 1793, and believed to have been copied by a family member in Burlington, New Jersey. Topics covered in Smith's correspondence relate primarily to the ongoing yellow fever epidemic of 1793, with particular focus on the health of Smith's family members. Also included within the collection are copies of letters from Smith's brother, Joshua Smith, addressed to their father, relating the events of the summer and the eventual death of Benjamin from yellow fever on October 18, 1793.

Held at: Haverford College Quaker & Special Collections [Contact Us]