A Quaker patient

These are notes passed between Quaker families reporting on the condition of a patient who expected to die. The last note reports on other patients and shows the difficulty people had distinguishing the seasonal fevers with yellow fever.

4th day 5 o'clock

5th day morning

5th day 3 o'clock

5th day 5 o'clock



6th day morning and evening (reversed)

New York City newspaper August 29

I believe this a copy of the August 29, 1793, Commercial Gazetteer published in New York City. If not, it is another New York newspaper. In it we see how New York quickly learned of the epidemic in Philadelphia, publishing not only the instructions of the Philadelphia College of Physicians but also private letters from Philadelphia. There is also a report of the fight in Cape-Francois, Haiti.

One of the private letters from Philadelphia discusses the supposed causes of the epidemic, the rotting coffee or a ship with sick passengers. That ship is described as coming from the "Streights" meaning, I think, the Straights of Gibraltar. Today, we assume that ships carrying the French or Creole refugees from the black uprising in Haiti must have brought yellow fever and the mosquitoes that spread it to Philadelphia.

General Advertiser September 13

My scanner and Goggle blogger can't handle the presentation of newspapers on-line as many of the web sites dedicated to doing that, but most of them charge a fee, and mine is free. I present a small image of half of the page first followed by a large image and then do the same for the second half of the page.

This issue of the General Advertiser has a letter from Benjamin Rush extolling his approach to the fighting the epidemic followed by a contrary view by Dr. Kuhn. Then there is a letter from Dr. Edward Stephens discussing his treatment followed by comment from Rush. And don't miss a note at the bottom of the third column announcing that the sickness of two letter carriers means that patrons in two parts of the city will have to come to the Post Office to get their mail for a few days. And announcements about the Bush Hill hospital at the top of the fourth column.

Margaret Morris letter, early days of epidemic

As this letter shows the Quaker elder Margaret Morris kept a tabs on the fever as well as the usual medical problems in the city, like worms.

This disorder seems more fatal to young men

A letter from Benjamin Smith to his father written in early September.

Margaret Haines testimony and letters

Obituary of Margaret Haines, a prominent Quaker, and letters from her son describing her illness and death, and his own illness. He mentions Daniel Offley, Rebecca Jones and nameless black nurses.

Letter from a young physician offering medical advice

Dr. John Graham, who wrote to Oliver Wolcott, Jr., from New York City offering medical advice, soon came to Philadelphia to treat patients and died of yellow fever.

Medical advice from a father

Daniel Smith, a pharmacist north of the city, sent drugs to his son in Philadelphia as well as this note. I think this was the same Dr. Treat who was the port inspector in New York City who died of yellow fever there in 1795.

Hollingsworth letters

The Hollingsworth brothers in Maryland, both merchants, tried to persuade their brother in Philadelphia to leave the city with his family. At the same time, they defended the efforts to screen all from Philadelphia who came to their cities.

November 9 Independent Gazetteer

Two letters on the epidemic, one lamenting the feud among the doctors and the other on mistakes in the lists of victims.

August newspaper reports on refugees from Santa Domingo (Haiti)

This is a scan of a poor photocopy of a New York newspaper that has the report from the August 9th public meeting in Philadelphia deciding on how the funds collected for the refugees were to be  distributed. There is also a report from Norfolk mentioning a shipload of refugees heading to Baltimore.