THE POLITICS OF HEALTH
Leading up to the construction of the Philadelphia Lazaretto, politicians, scholars, and medical professionals were debating the origins of yellow fever. Yellow fever, of all the diseases in the Americas, terrified colonists and early Americans the most because of how quickly it spread and killed. Finding out its origins and how to manage public fears and impacts was imperative. In this way, public health entered the halls of Congress and changed the very fabric of American national identity.
YELLOW FEVER DEBATES
Local Origins
MAJOR SUPPORTER
Benjamin Rush - Pennsylvania Hospital Physician
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THEORY
Miasma, or bad air, was causing illness and infection
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PROPOSED SOLUTION
Since miasma supposedly came from rotten matter, public sanitation and waste removal was needed
Foreign Origins
MAJOR SUPPORTER
Alexander Hamilton - Secretary of the Treasury
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THEORY
The disease was being brought into Philadelphia by immigrants arriving from the West Indies, modern day Haiti and the Dominican Republic
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PROPOSED SOLUTION
Close the Port of Philadelphia and limit immigration​
AND THE WINNER IS
HAMILTON! Sort of.
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While Hamilton's theory of contagion was closer to the truth than Rush's belief in miasma, he still did not know the exact cause of yellow fever. The Lazaretto was effective for keeping the infected away from healthy citizens, but without an actual solution, yellow fever would keep returning.
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It was not until 1900 that the real culprit was discovered! The Aedes aegypti mosquito.
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This mosquito is native to West Africa, but came to the Americas on slave ships. The hot, damp environment of the Caribbean was perfect for the yellow fever mosquito. Through the sugar trade, it came to the continental colonies and settled in the swamps of Philadelphia.
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The yellow fever mosquito followed the Triangle Trade Route all the way to the Lazaretto.
THE NATION'S CAPITAL
After the American Revolution and the adoption of the Constitution, Philadelphia served as the United States Capital until 1800 when it was moved to Washington, DC. While the reason for moving the capital south was largely influenced by debates surrounding slavery and regional power, yellow fever and disease played a role.
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The decade US politicians spent in Philadelphia was marked by outbreaks of yellow fever, cholera, and other contagious and deadly diseases. President George Washington and his cabinet fled the city multiple times to avoid infection. The constant flow of new migrants and issues with public sanitation meant disease continued to spread.
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Fearing for your health and safety does not leave much time for planning a new nation. Combined with the factors of slavery and state political control, yellow fever helped push the federal government to a new location.
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Losing the capital was another in long list of concerns over public health that inspired the 1799 Lazaretto and its location father outside of the city.
JAMES MADISON & THE LAZARETTO
Future president James Madison was the US Secretary of State from 1801-1809. He and the Lazaretto began their journeys in the same year, with the Lazaretto becoming a focus of Madison's during his time in office.
Madison wrote dozens of letters to officials in DC and Philadelphia about Lazaretto activities. International trade was important to keep the new nation afloat, and it was Madison's responsibility to maintain relationships with the nations and colonies sending goods and people to the US.
