000 01941nam a2200217 a 4500
001 ASIN0395776082
005 20110330061706.0
008 110329s2003 xxu eng d
020 _a9780395776087 (hardcover)
_c$18.00
020 _a9780395776087 (hardcover)
082 0 4 _a614.541097481109033
100 1 _aMurphy, Jim.
245 1 3 _aAn american plague :
_bthe true and terrifying story of the yellow fever epidemic of 1793 /
_cJim Murphy.
260 _a[S.l.] :
_bClarion Books,
_c2003.
300 _a176 p. ;
_c25 cm.
490 1 _aNewbery honor book.
520 _a1793, Philadelphia. The nation's capital and the largest city in North America is devastated by an apparently incurable disease, cause unknown . . . In a powerful, dramatic narrative, critically acclaimed author Jim Murphy describes the illness known as yellow fever and the toll it took on the city's residents, relating the epidemic to the major social and political events of the day and to 18th-century medical beliefs and practices. Drawing on first-hand accounts, Murphy spotlights the heroic role of Philadelphia's free blacks in combating the disease, and the Constitutional crisis that President Washington faced when he was forced to leave the city--and all his papers--while escaping the deadly contagion. The search for the fever's causes and cure, not found for more than a century afterward, provides a suspenseful counterpoint to this riveting true story of a city under siege.   Thoroughly researched, generously illustrated with fascinating archival prints, and unflinching in its discussion of medical details, this book offers a glimpse into the conditions of American cities at the time of our nation's birth while drawing timely parallels to modern-day epidemics. Bibliography, map, index.
521 0 _aAges 9-12.
830 0 _aNewbery honor book.
856 4 0 _3Amazon.com
_uhttp://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0395776082/chopaconline-20
999 _c6602
_d6602