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The Yellow Fever Epidemic in Savannah, Georgia of 1876: A Case for Applied Historical Analysis

Gruenberg, James R.
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=wright1331645851

Abstract Details

2012, Master of Arts (MA), Wright State University, History.
Yellow fever was a constant and deadly visitor to the southern United States since the middle of the seventeenth century. Dying of yellow fever was gruesome and terrifying. Black vomit was the prominent symptom as the patient bled to death internally and externally. Yellow fever, or ‘yellow jack' to the locals, would bring Savannah, Georgia to its knees on three different occasions. In 1876, however, the city would lose a full 6% of its population, or 1,066 souls. This thesis argues that this tragic outbreak was preventable, and that the physical conditions that were well known to contribute to yellow fever spread were present in Savannah and ignored by city officials who succumbed to economic hardship and a desire for increased commerce. If this epidemic was preventable, then it has potential to inform modern community decision-makers by applying lessons of the past to present policy and practice. To defend this argument, this thesis will discuss the physical, social, and politico-economic conditions in Savannah that contributed to the outbreak and the decisions that marginalized the yellow fever threat. Also, the thesis will discuss applied historical analysis in theoretical terms and identify a model for the systematic analysis of past disaster events for contemporary emergency management decision-makers.
Jonathan Winkler, PhD (Committee Chair)
John Flach, PhD (Committee Member)
Edward Haas, PhD (Committee Member)
Noeleen McIlvenna, PhD (Committee Member)
101 p.
History
yellow fever; Savannah; Georgia; epidemic; applied history; New South; disease

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Gruenberg, J. R. (2012). The Yellow Fever Epidemic in Savannah, Georgia of 1876: A Case for Applied Historical Analysis [Master's thesis, Wright State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=wright1331645851

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Gruenberg, James. The Yellow Fever Epidemic in Savannah, Georgia of 1876: A Case for Applied Historical Analysis. 2012. Wright State University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=wright1331645851.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Gruenberg, James. "The Yellow Fever Epidemic in Savannah, Georgia of 1876: A Case for Applied Historical Analysis." Master's thesis, Wright State University, 2012. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=wright1331645851

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

wright1331645851
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© 2012, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by Wright State University and OhioLINK.
Release 3.2.12