A Little Early US Mint Pandemic History With Yellow Fever...

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Author	Replies: 5 / Views: 1,159
westcoin Pillar of the Community United States 9792 Posts	Posted 05/03/2020 06:22 am The early U.S. Mint in Philadelphia suffered from yellow fever throughout the 1790s. The toll in Philadelphia was extraordinary, with the fever claiming 10% of its population in 1793 alone. Such numbers are in some way beyond our comprehension today, and, unless one has actually lived through it, the reality is hard to grasp. Like all Philadelphia institutions, the Mint suffered accordingly. In this recently released video, Lianna Spurrier sets the historical context and explores the impacts of yellow fever on the U.S. Mint. Today, the Mint has similarly closed some facilities, although circulation coinage continues to be manufactured. MdFP-iLapPk * Edited by Staff - Embedded video * "Buy the Book Before You Buy the Coin" - Aaron R. Feldman - "And read it" - Me 2013! ANA Life Member #3288 in good standing since 1981, ANS, Early American Coppers Member (EAC), Colonial Coin Collectors Club member (C4), Conder Token Collector Club member (CTCC), Civil War Token Society (CWTS) member, Liberty Seated Collectors Club (LSCC) & Numismatic Bibliomania Society member (NBS), USMex, Member in good standing, 2¢ variety collector. See my want page: http://goccf.com/t/140440 Report this Post to the Staff

okiepb Pillar of the Community United States 1213 Posts	Posted 05/03/2020 07:33 am Good video, thanks for sharing, Westcoin. It's Interesting to see some of the things they did to "help" like firing a gun to clear the air, drinking mercury and blood-letting! I'm glad we have more modern ideas on solutions such as bleach and disinfectant. Report this Post to the Staff
tdziemia Pillar of the Community United States 7935 Posts	Posted 05/03/2020 07:46 am Fascinating history. Thanks for posting! And a reminder that "new" scourges like yellow fever (and more recently ebola, and COVID) are always emerging somewhere. But we now have better knowledge and tools ... Though one strategy used since ancient times is still practiced: leaving the city. Report this Post to the Staff
Coinfrog Bedrock of the Community United States 94367 Posts	Posted 05/03/2020 10:34 am Thanks very much for this! Report this Post to the Staff
matthewvincent Pillar of the Community United States 3486 Posts	Posted 05/03/2020 3:19 pm The video keeps stalling and I have only seen a half of it. But the use of period paintings and documents is by far more satisfying than any dramatic recreation could be. Philadelphia did not learn a whole lot by 1918: PHILADELPHIA DETECTED ITS first case of a deadly, fast-spreading strain of influenza on September 17, 1918. The next day, in an attempt to halt the virus' spread, city officials launched a campaign against coughing, spitting, and sneezing in public. Yet 10 days later—despite the prospect of an epidemic at its doorstep—the city hosted a parade that 200,000 people attended. Report this Post to the Staff
Conder101 Bedrock of the Community United States 17884 Posts	Posted 05/10/2020 7:42 pm One of the favorite places for those who could afford to leave the city to go (if they couldn't leave and go far away) was to go camp out along the river. Great place to go to escape a disease carried by mosquitoes. (Of course they didn't know what carried it at the time.) Edited by Conder101 05/10/2020 7:42 pm Report this Post to the Staff
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