Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793: Audio Walking Tour Through Philadelphia

It was hot in Philadelphia during the summer of 1793 — very hot. And the soaring temperatures complicated life in the city. Foul smells of rotting refuse and waste permeated the air. Swarms of mosquitos buzzed about.

This was our nation’s capital, a busy center of politics, trade, and learning, but struggling to keep up with the refuse from industry and a growing population.

And a vicious illness started to spread among the city’s 55,000 inhabitants.

In August, prominent physician Benjamin Rush, signer of the Declaration of Independence, long considered the father of American medicine, described an “unusual number of bilious fevers, accompanied with symptoms of uncommon malignity.” He concluded that, “All was not right in our city.”

Yellow fever, gone from Philadelphia for 30 years, had returned, and more and more people were falling ill.

Those who could get out fled the city. Those who remained lived in fear.

This was one of the city’s most devastating moments. Within just three months, 5,000 of those who stayed behind died of the infection.

The yellow fever epidemic challenged the city’s health and political infrastructure, and revealed a nation ill-prepared to support its citizens in such difficult times. In its wake, important changes were made to promote public health, and to ensure the city and nation would be better prepared in the future.

Join us for an audio journey back in time, visiting five sites around Philadelphia’s historic Old City to learn about the 1793 yellow fever outbreak and what happened next.

This tour is hosted by public health historian Michael Yudell, and Maiken Scott, creator of the WHYY health and science show The Pulse.