Fever 1793Laurie Halse Anderson

Laurie Halse Anderson

• American author• Born October 23, 1961• Began as a freelance journalist• American history is a passion of hers• Married with four children• Other novels include:– Speak– Chains– Wintergirls

Fever 1793 – General PlotAugust 1793. Fourteen-year-old Mattie Cook is

ambitious, adventurous, and sick to death of listening to her mother. Mattie has plans of her own. She wants to turn the Cook Coffeehouse into the finest business in Philadelphia, the capital of the new United States. But the waterfront is abuzz with reports of disease. “Fever” spreads from the docks and creeps toward

Mattie’s home, threatening everything she holds dear. As the cemeteries fill with fever victims, fear turns to

panic, and thousands flee the city. Then tragedy strikes the coffeehouse, and Mattie is trapped in a living

nightmare. Suddenly, her struggle to build a better life must give way to something even more important –

the fight to stay alive.

Historical Background

• Did the epidemic really happen?– The epidemic yellow fever

started in 1793– In three months, the yellow

fever killed 10% of Philadelphia's population

– Thousands fled from the city to escape the disease

Historical Background Continued

• Doctors were not all in agreement regarding treatment– The field of medicine was very

different from today– No stethoscope or thermometer– At the start of the yellow fever

there were about 80 doctors practicing in Philadelphia

– Not all doctors were properly trained

Two Conflicting Opinions• Dr. Benjamin Rush– Gave mercury, calomel, and

jalep to get them to throw up, hoping to get rid of the disease

– Drained blood from people to get ride of the disease

– Many people think his actions actually killed many of his patients

– Was a signer of the Declaration of Independence

Two Conflicting Opinions

• French doctors– Prescribed rest, fresh

air, and lots of fluids– That was, and is, the

best way to treat yellow fever

Strange Methods and Ideas…

• In a desperate move to cure a disease they knew little about, people would soak sponges in vinegar and stick them up their noses. They also used vinegar to wash their hair and clothes in. Several even drank it. People hoped this strong liquid would kill all the germs from yellow fever.

• Guns and cannons were shot in the streets in hopes of clearing the air of disease.

• Beds were buried underground and then dug up in an effort to kill the disease.

• None of these methods worked. People kept getting sick until the frost killed off the mosquitoes that spread yellow fever.

Historical Background Continued• This is a view of Archer Street where coffee

was delivered. Dr. Rush traced the source of the epidemic to rotting coffee on the wharf.

• This, however, did NOT cause the yellow fever.

So, What Causes the Yellow Fever?

• People get yellow fever from the bite of an infected female mosquito. The mosquito injects the yellow fever virus into the bite.

Symptoms of Yellow Fever

• In order to understand what happened to people with yellow fever, we will watch a short video clip. Causes of Yellow Fever

Modern Day Yellow Fever?

• Many yellow fever infections are mild, but the disease can cause severe, life-threatening illness.

• Yellow fever is found only in Africa and South America.

• Yellow fever is preventable by immunization. Travelers to countries with yellow fever should get the yellow fever vaccine.

• An example: Modern Case of Yellow Fever

Fever 1793 – The Novel

• Historical Fiction– The narrator, Matilda Cook, did not actually exist– However, many characters in the novel did:• George Washington• Dr. Benjamin Rush

– The novel is based on the true events of the yellow fever

Main Characters• Matilda- The main character of the story; the

narrator• Mother- Matilda’s mother; Owns and operates

the Cook Coffeehouse• Grandfather- Matilda's father's dad, fought with

George Washington in a war• Eliza- Black woman who was once a slave, whose

deceased husband bought her freedom. Works in the coffeehouse as the chef

• Nathaniel Benson- Matilda's crush/ friend, Mr. Peale's apprentice

18th Century Clothing

Hygiene

• In America's colonial days, getting clean meant sponging off, usually just face and hands. A few of the better homes furnished bedrooms with chinaware washbasins and pitchers. Servants supplied the water, heated in the kitchen or laundry, and laid out clean shifts for the ladies and fresh dress shirts for the gentlemen. A shirt concealed the sweat that often flowed beneath it and kept it from staining the elegant silk or velvet waistcoat and frock coat that went over it. If you were a wealthy man, you might have fifty shirts. Your lady, of course, didn't sweat. She merely glowed.

Hygiene Continued• If you insisted on thoroughly washing, a wooden tub would

do a fine job. But it required hard work. It had to be lugged from the laundry house, or wherever it was stored, and filled with water, hoisted from the well, that had to be warmed. Something had to be found to use as a towel. And where in the world did the homemade soap get to? With all this ado, a semblance of privacy had to be preserved during the adventure. So a good, soaking bath was a luxury of only the well served, and few of them tackled the job more than a couple of times a year. Everyone knew that too much bathing would destroy your natural oils and leave you wide open to the ravages of various diseases. Fortunately, that theory has changed 180 degrees since the eighteenth century.

Coffeehouses

• People would meet and discuss business, politics, and other aspects of their lives over food, coffee, or tea.

Philadelphia