The American Plague

The American Plague by Molly Caldwell Crosby is a gripping narrative history of yellow fever in the United States that traces the devastation caused by the disease, the personal stories of sufferers and physicians, and the scientific quest that ultimately identified mosquitoes as the vector. Crosby combines archival research, eyewitness accounts, and medical detective work to show how repeated epidemics reshaped cities, economies, and public health policy while exposing deep social and racial inequalities. Following key figures and pivotal outbreaks, the book conveys both the terror of contagion and the persistence of those who worked to understand and defeat it, offering a richly detailed and accessible account of how a tiny parasite altered American life and science.