Milton Historical Society
This Month in History
Dr. Walter Reed: A Medical Allstar, May 1900
by Kathy Beck
120 Years Ago this Month
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In May of 1900,
Dr. Walter Reed
, whose name is proudly displayed on the Medical Center in Washington, D.C. that cares for our military, returns to Cuba. He is about to embark upon expanding his work on yellow fever, make ground-breaking discoveries, and debunk myths surrounding the disease.
In 1878 the world was confronted with a different plague. In
The American Plague: The Untold Story of Yellow Fever, the Epidemic That Shaped Our History
, Molly Crosby tells of Dr. Reed's work with Yellow Fever:
"During its tenure in this country, yellow fever would inflict 500,000 casualties and 100,000 deaths. The fever would stretch the length of North America, afflicting Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Connecticut, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, Delaware, Maryland, Illinois, Missouri, Ohio, Kentucky, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Louisiana, Florida, and Texas.
The U.S. capital would move from Philadelphia to Washington, D.C., after a devastating yellow fever epidemic in 1793. Alexander Hamilton suffered the fever, while George Washington, John Adams, and Thomas Jefferson fled the city. In New York, Greenwich Village would become known as 'the Village' because it was the safe haven outside of the city during yellow fever epidemics."1
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Quarantine!
Initially, "doctors relied on two theories about yellow fever: One camp believed it was mysteriously spread by filthy conditions much like cholera and dysentery. Terms like fomites, effluvia, and noxious gasses peppered medical literature in an attempt to explain what substance - whether animal matter, fungal, or gaseous - spread the disease. The other side held that the fever was imported each summer into the city by railroads and river traffic."1
"Ships were forced to spend weeks anchored outside of a city until the crew showed no signs of disease among them. Vessels and their cargo were initially intended to spend thirty days -
trentina
- in the harbor, but that later changed to forty days -
quarantina
. In America, trains and paddleboats could also be quarantined to prevent smallpox, plague, and fevers."1
Adding to the complexity, there was not a single central public health service in existence at that time. There were two agencies vying for the lead role in American health policy: the American Public Health Association and the Marine Hospital Service. Researchers not only had to contend with the unknowns of developing cures and treatments for the epidemic, but the power struggle at play between these two institutions.
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Breakthrough in Cuba
I
n May of 1900, the United States. sent Dr. Walter Reed and two other physicians to Cuba to investigate how yellow fever was spread and transmitted throughout the community. Eventually delicately managed but risky research methods on human volunteers in Cuba led to ground-breaking discoveries. The mosquito, not human contact, was the vector. The next phase began soon after: understanding how immunity has been or could be developed. How much exposure was needed to build immunity? Dr. Reed and Cuban epidemiologist Carlos Findlay were key players in the breakthrough that solved for this unknown. In the process, they also debunked the commonly-held belief that yellow fever could be transmitted by clothing and bedding soiled by the body fluids and excrement of yellow fever sufferers - articles known as 'fomites.'
After Reed returned from Cuba in 1901, he continued to speak and publish on yellow fever. While beginning his career with a medical degree from the University of Virginia, he later received honorary degrees from Harvard and the University of Michigan in recognition of his seminal work.2
If you want to learn more about the heroic story of Dr. Reed and this pivotal point in the history of epidemiology, we suggest this book:
The American Plague: The Untold Story of Yellow Fever, the Epidemic That Shaped Our History
by Molly Caldwell Crosby. The book is well written, thought provoking, and provides an historical perspective for current events.
References
1
Crosby, Molly Caldwell,
The American Plague: The Untold Story of Yellow Fever, the Epidemic That Shaped Our History, New York: Berkley Books - Kindle Edition (2006)
2
https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/fever-walter-reed/
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