Abstract
For more than a century, yellow fever epidemics intermittently swept over Pensacola, Florida, producing a high mortality, disrupting its economic and social life, dividing community leaders and medical authorities over courses of action in combatting them, causing untold numbers to flee, some permanently, and keeping those who remained in a state of demoralizing terror. The approach of summer each year invariably brought with it the fear of a repetition of the dreadful experience. This atmosphere of apprehension and utter helplessness was nourished by ignorance about the origin, transmission, and prevention of the disease. It was not until 1900 that medical science identified the mosquito Aedes aegypti as the sole carrier of yellow fever and therewith unraveled the secrets of this enigmatic disease. This medical discovery brought peace of mind to Pensacolians and to countless numbers elsewhere who had lived in terror of this fatal scourge.
Recommended Citation
Pearce, George F.
(1977)
"Torment of Pestilence: Yellow Fever Epidemics in Pensacola,"
Florida Historical Quarterly: Vol. 56:
No.
4, Article 5.
Available at:
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/fhq/vol56/iss4/5
