Politics of Yellow Fever in Alexander Hamilton's America Exhibit - Now on View!

In the summer of 1793, Philadelphians across the city began falling ill. What began as a fever would soon develop into jaundiced skin and eyes, vomiting, and often death. It was yellow fever, and by year’s end, the disease had claimed the lives of almost 10% of the city’s population.

Today, we know that yellow fever is a zoonotic disease, spread by mosquitos. But in the 18th century, its cause was still unknown, and this uncertainty stoked the public’s fear. In the fragile early American republic, the void of scientific knowledge was filled by politics, where medical treatments and understandings were frequently colored by beliefs over what was – or should be – considered American.

These ideas and more are explored in the traveling exhibit “Politics of Yellow Fever in Alexander Hamilton’s America”, produced by the National Library of Medicine and on view at the Holman Biotech Commons from February 3rd to March 15th.  Learn about one of America’s first public health crises, and how various groups and factions within the city organized to fight the disease, and often each other.

Holman has also planned a variety of programs to accompany the exhibit, highlighting the ways the history of the 1793 yellow fever epidemic can still be seen in Philadelphia today. These include a walking tour of Old City to relevant historic sites, weekly tours of Historic Pennsylvania Hospital to explore the state of medicine at the turn of the 19th century, and a panel amongst physicians and medical historians to discuss the similarities in public response to both yellow fever and COVID-19. Register for the events here.