Read more
"In the summer of Galveston's founding year, a mysterious malady accompanied by black vomit descended on the inhabitants. Even if Galvestonians had known the cause or the cure, they lacked the medical institutions to treat the illness. Four thousand souls perished in nine epidemics between 1839 and 1867 as the island paradise intermittently transformed into a 'City of Dreadful Death.' By the time of Galveston's final yellow fever outbreak in 1903, however, residents had become better informed and equipped. In the first written investigation into the island city's experience with the mosquito-borne disease, Jan Johnson profiles the medical professionals, charity organizations and other key figures in Galveston's fight against yellow fever"--Page 4 of cover.
About the author
Fifth generation BOI, Jan Johnson made it her business to study the city's rich history to write about it, just as her mother, Dorris Stechmann Johnson, wanted for her.
Yellow Fever on Galveston Island, her fourth book, is the first written investigation of the island city's experience with the mosquito-borne disease. Readers will also explore the establishment of the city's first two medical institutions and its orphanages.
