1833 — Early Aug-early Nov, Yellow Fever Epidemic, New Orleans, LA –1,000

–1,000 New Orleans. Barton. The Cause…Prevention of Yellow Fever at New Orleans… 1857.[1]

–1,000 “ Carrigan. The Saffron Scourge. 1961, p. 68.

–1,000 “ Sanitary Com. of New Orleans. Report of the Sanitary Com.. 1853, p. 465.

— 210 “ Keating. A History of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1873… 1879, p. 85.

— 210 “ Sternberg. “Yellow Fever: History…Geographic Distribution.” 1908, 719.

— 210 “ U.S. Marine-Hospital Service. 1896, p. 435.

Narrative Information

Barton: “In 1830 the city contained about 46,310 inhabitants, exclusive of a floating population during the winter and spring months of from 15 to 20,000; increasing on an average of near 2½ per cent. per annum, and hence containing in 1833, 53,234, making altogether about 70,000 inhabitants.

“The prevailing diseases of January, February, March, and April, 1833, were decidedly intestinal — diarrhea, dysentery, and many cases of cholera….” [p. 4]

“In the second week [of August] the yellow fever broke out, and continued increasing until it reached a daily average of thirty cases. Its type was malignant, with great determination to the head….” [p. 5]

“Diemerbroeck, (on the authority of a number of writers; and the same has been remarked by Dr. Rush and many others,) observes that an uncommon abundance fo insects, for many years has been noticed to portend pestilence, and we accordingly remarked here, that the flies and mosquitoes particularly, were unusually numerous preceding the epidemic — the latter continued throughout the season….” [p. 7]

“The epidemic, of which it is the especial object of this paper to give an account, commenced its ravages on the first week of August, reaching its acme about the middle of November, and gradually lost its peculiar character in the first week of November….” [p. 9]

“Persons of all ages, colours and conditions, who had not been acclimated, were subject to the disease. It was most severe with the robust of middle age and of intemperate habits; it was much milder with the coloured, and in those coming from similar parallels of latitude; most of those from Charleston, South Carolina, escaping, though not universally. The Creoles of the state unacclimated to the city were not exempt. I know of no instance where it was taken a second time….” [pp. 20-21]

April 290 Total death toll all causes. (Barton, 1834, p. 73 of download.)

May 445 “ (Barton, 1834, p. 73 of download.)

June 1020 “ (Barton, 1834, p. 71 of download.)

July 269 “ (Barton, 1834, p. 73 of download.)

Aug 418 “ “ “

Sep 784 “ (Barton, 1834, p. 72 of download.)

Oct 568 “ “ “

Nov 320 “ (Barton 1834, p. 73 of download.)

Dec 230 “ “ “

Barton (1834): “A Comparative Tabular view of the Mortality in New Orleans, during six successive Epidemic years.” [Aug-Dec] (p. 74 of 78 of download)

1817 1,150

1819 1,425

1820 1,005

1822 1,711

1824 800

1833 2,631.

Carrigan: “Again in the following year [1833] New Orleanians bore the burden of the two deadly maladies, with Asiatic cholera taking, 1,000 additional victims and Yellow Jack even more.[2] In an account of the yellow fever epidemic of 1833 written immediately thereafter, Dr. Edward H. Barton of New Orleans described it as the ‘most violent and malignant of the Epidemic Yellow Fevers with which this city has ever been visited.’ Following a general pattern which had become all too common, the fever commenced in early August and continued until early November. Dr. Barton made a rather interesting observation which could have furnished a clue for the solution of the perennial puzzle of yellow fever causation and transmission. He noticed the unusual quantity of flies and mosquitoes in New Orleans preceding the epidemic and remarked that ‘the latter continued throughout the season.’[3] Others before Barton had noticed this phenomenon and others would do so in years to come, but not until 1900 was the connection between the Aedes aegypti mosquito and yellow fever definitely established.

“In late August of 1833 the Louisiana Courier declared that the raging fever presented a more malignant type than it had for many years, and the editor advised strangers and absent citizens to stay away from the city. The interment reports published through September and October indicated a death toll ranging from twenty to fifty per day for at least six weeks.[4] Drs. Barton and Jones both estimated 1,000 yellow fever deaths for 1833.”[5] (Carrigan. The Saffron Scourge. 1961, pp. 68-69.)

Sources

Barton, Edward H., MD. Account of the Epidemic Yellow Fever, Which Prevailed in New Orleans During the Autumn of 1833. Philadelphia: Joseph R. A. Skerrett, Nov 1834, 78 pages. Accessed 3-20-2018 at: https://ia800309.us.archive.org/8/items/AccountOfTheEpidemicYellowFeverWhichPrevailedInNewOrleansDuringThe/1834_barton_opt.pdf

Barton, Edward H., MD. The Cause and Prevention of Yellow Fever at New Orleans and other Cities in America (Third Edition, with a Supplement). New York: H. Bailliere; London and Paris, 1857. Google preview accessed 3-14-2018 at: https://books.google.com/books?id=yEJZDrCO-ZkC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false

Carrigan, Jo Ann. The Saffron Scourge: A History of Yellow Fever in Louisiana, 1796-1905 (Doctoral Dissertation). Louisiana State University, LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses, 1961. Accessed 3-11-2018 at: https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1665&context=gradschool_disstheses

Keating, J. M. A History of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1878 in Memphis, Tenn. Memphis, TN: Howard Association, 1879. Google preview accessed 3-16-2018 at: http://books.google.com/books?id=WEIJAAAAIAAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false

Sanitary Commission of New Orleans. Report of the Sanitary Commission to His Honor J. L. Lewis, Mayor of the City of New Orleans. New Orleans: By Authority of the City Council of New Orleans, 1854. Google preview accessed 3-5-2018 at: https://books.google.com/books?id=_EQJAAAAIAAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false

Sternberg, George M. (US Public Health Service, US Marine Hospital Service). “Yellow Fever: History and Geographic Distribution.” Pages 715-722 in Stedman, Thomas L., M.D. (Ed.) Appendix to the Reference Handbook of the Medical Sciences. NY: William Wood & Co., 1908. Google preview accessed 3-18-2018 at: http://books.google.com/books?id=3ezqX415M5wC&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_atb#v=onepage&q&f=false

United States Marine-Hospital Service, Treasury Department. Annual Report of the Supervising Surgeon-General of the Marine-Hospital Service of the United States for the Fiscal Year 1895 (Document No. 1811). Washington, DC: GPO, 1896. Google preview accessed 3-16-2018 at: http://books.google.com/books?id=aTnxAAAAIAAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_atb#v=onepage&q&f=false

[1] “Comparative Table [Yellow Fever and Cholera]. Estimate of the Salubrity of New Orleans, as affected by her Epidemics. 1^st — of Yellow Fever.”

[2] Cites, in footnote 75, Dr. Edward Jones. Medical and Surgical Memoirs (Vol. III, Pt. 1). cccvi.

[3] Cites, in footnote 76. Edward Hall Barton. Account of the Epidemic Yellow Fever, which prevailed in New Orleans during the Autumn of 1833. Philadelphia: 1834, pp. iii, 7 & 9.

[4] Cites, in footnote 77, Louisiana Courier, August 31, September 10, 12, October 10, 1833.

[5] Cites, in footnote 78, New Orleans Medical & Surgical Journal, New Series, VI (March, 1879), p. 699.