In 1878, Memphis, Tennessee, faced one of its worst public health disasters: a massive Yellow Fever epidemic. This wasn't the first time Yellow Fever hit Memphis. The city had seen outbreaks before in 1828, 1855, and 1867, usually brought by steamboats from New Orleans. Memphis's wet, swampy land and poor sewage system made it easy for mosquitoes, which spread Yellow Fever, to breed. Despite knowing these risks, not much was done to improve conditions, leaving the city open to disease.
Before the Epidemic
Memphis had been through Yellow Fever outbreaks before, but the one in 1878 was the worst. The city's location, with its swampy areas and bad sewage, was perfect for mosquitoes to breed. Even so, the city didn't do much to fix these problems, making it easy for the disease to spread[4].
The 1878 Epidemic
The crisis started on August 13, 1878, when a restaurant owner named Kate Bionda died after being exposed to someone who had left a quarantine area. This event marked the beginning of a terrible outbreak that hit the city hard[2]. The mayor tried to stop the disease spreading by setting up a quarantine on July 28, blocking railroads to stop anything coming from New Orleans. But, pressure from businesses wanting to keep trade going meant the quarantine didn't work as planned[3].
As things got worse, around half of Memphis's 47,000 people left the city. Those who stayed had to rely on volunteers, including a brothel owner who turned her business into a hospital. But despite their efforts, more than 5,000 people died in Memphis by the end of the year, and the disease spread to other states[3].
Aftermath and Impact
The epidemic was a disaster for Memphis. It lost so much of its population and faced a financial crisis that led to the city losing its charter in 1879[1]. But, there were also positive changes. The black community in Memphis played a big role in helping during the epidemic, and the city made big changes to its sanitation systems after another outbreak in 1879. These changes helped improve public health and prevent other diseases from spreading[5].
The 1878 Yellow Fever epidemic was a dark time for Memphis, showing how vulnerable cities can be to diseases and how important it is to have good public health systems. The epidemic's effects were felt not just in the lives lost, but in the lasting improvements it brought to public health and sanitation in Memphis[1][3][4][5].
Citations:
[1] https://moshmemphis.com/yellow-fever-how-memphis-survived/
[2] https://www.historylatam.com
[3] https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/fever-1878-epidemic/
[4] https://historic-memphis.com/memphis-historic/yellow-fever/yellow-fever.html
[5] https://tennesseeencyclopedia.net/entries/yellow-fever-epidemics/
[6] https://www.jstor.org/stable/44450733
[7] https://www.usgs.gov/publications/a-possible-connection-between-1878-yellow-fever-epidemic-southern-united-states-and
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