What kinds of treatments were used to help people recover from yellow fever, which were successful?

• abandoning the city

• bed rest

• herbal treatments

• blood letting

• the use of mercury

• quarantine

• vinegar

From the text, we can infer that these treatments did not provide a cure.

Philadelphians were desperate for anything to prevent or cure yellow fever. They soaked sponges in vinegar, then stuck them up their noses. They washed their hair and clothes in vinegar. They even drank it. pg. 245

Dr. Benjamin Rush had a young assistant from Virginia named Warner Washington, thought to be a cousin to George Washington. Despite (or because of) Rush’s treatment, Warner died of the fever too. pg. 248

“There,” he said finally. He bandaged the cut on her arm and rolled down her sleeve. Mother lay still and silent, but she was breathing. “That was ten ounces of blood. Pll come back tomorrow to take another ten. She needs to purge the disease still in her stomach and bowels. She’ll need ten grains of jalap and ten grains of calomel. It will be dirty work to care for her, but it should clean her system efficiently.” pg 72

“You'll hear folks say that Dr. Rush is a hero for saving folks with his purges and blood letting. But I’ve seen different. It’s these French doctors here that know how to cure the fever. I don’t care if Dr. Rush did sign the Declaration of Independence. I wouldn't let him and his knives near me.” pg. 103

Dr. Rush was one of the most famous doctors in the country. He gave patients mercury, calomel, and jalap to make them throw up and have diarthea. He drained blood from them (a common practice) to get rid of the “pestilence” in their bodies. Medical experts speculate that Rush’s treatments killed many of his patients. pg. 244