In An American Plague, Murphy tells the story of the 1793 yellow fever epidemic. Bizarre medical practices of the time are discussed, as well as popular historical figures, such as George Washington and Benjamin Rush, who were involved in finding a cure for this horrific outbreak.

It's 1793, and there's an invisible killer roaming the streets of Philadelphia. The city's residents are fleeing in fear. This killer has a name--yellow fever--but everything else about it is a mystery. Its cause is unknown and there is no cure. This [book] traces the devastating course of the epidemic. [The book] offers a ... glimpse into the conditions in American cities at the time of our nation's birth while drawing thought-provoking parallels to modern-day epidemics.

It's 1793, and there's an invisible killer roaming the streets of Philadelphia. The city's residents are fleeing in fear. This killer has a name--yellow fever--but everything else about it is a mystery. Its cause is unknown and there is no cure. This powerful dramatic account by award-winning author Jim Murphy traces the devastating course of the epidemic. An American Plague offers a fascinating glimpse into the conditions in American cities at the time of our nation's birth while drawing thought-provoking parallels to modern-day epidemics.

"Rethinking American Disasters is a pathbreaking collection of essays based on new research on hurricanes, earthquakes, fires, and other calamities in the United States and British colonial America over four centuries. Contributors include leading historians publishing in the field of disaster studies, as well as junior scholars. Proceeding from the premise, generally accepted in scholarly circles, that there is no such thing as a "natural" disaster, the collection invites readers to consider disasters and their aftermaths as artifacts of and vantage points onto their historical contexts. Beginning with the environmental impact of European colonization and concluding with the COVID-19 pandemic, these essays individually and collectively introduce readers to the thriving field of disaster history. As the subtitle indicates, contributors examine disasters from the often-overlapping perspectives of culture, environment, and public policy. Some essays provide a macro-level view of disaster