Part of what makes the mystery of flight MH370—the Malaysian airplane that disappeared—so haunting is the horror we all feel, wondering if there were people alive and conscious aboard the plane, and if so, if they were aware that the… Read More
Before it was proven that a mosquito was the vector of yellow fever, people believed the disease was spread by the wind, or by yellow fruit. Crates of oranges and bananas were buried during epidemics.
Great Medical Disasters, Page… Read More
The French company that began construction on the Panama Canal in 1880 employed 86,800 workers. Of those, 52,816 fell ill, mostly with malaria and yellow fever. The company went bankrupt in 1888.
The Alarming History of Medicine, page… Read More
To avoid contamination during the yellow fever epidemic of 1793, people in Philadelphia stopped shaking hands and walked down the middle of the street.
(David McCullough, John Adams, p 446)
… Read More
I was helping my middle schooler study for his big American History test a few days ago, which focused on westward expansion in the early nineteenth century—you know, Manifest Destiny, the Louisiana Purchase, Lewis and Clark, and including events leading… Read More
According to Roman writer Suetonius, a rival of Nero's was served untainted soup, but his poison taster deemed it too hot for his master. Cold water laced with arsenic was then added to cool it down, and the rival fell ill and died.