Yellow Jack

Like wars and natural disasters, epidemics tend to bring out both the best and the worst in people. Throughout most of its two-and-a-half-century killing spree across North America, yellow fever brought out only the worst. Characterized by seemingly random outbreaks that attacked people of all ages and walks of life, this excruciatingly painful and violent disease spread panic and chaos in communities that had weathered smallpox, typhoid, and other deadly epidemics with relative calm. Those who could run fled in every direction; parents abandoned infected children; friends and relatives shunned each other; businesses failed; governments collapsed; and thousands died in solitary agony with no one to care for them. Yellow Jack tracks the history of this deadly scourge from its earliest appearance in the Caribbean 350 years ago, telling the remarkable and triumphant story of a few extraordinarily brave souls who brought their very best to the battle against yellow fever. Based in large part on a massive body of research collected by Dr. Philip S. Hench, this thrilling medical adventure follows the exploits of the four-member US Army Yellow Fever Board, led by US Army major and physici