The first major American yellow fever epidemic hit Philadelphia in July 1793 and peaks during the first weeks of October. Philadelphia then the nation’s capital was the most cosmopolitan city in the United States. During the yellow fever epidemic during 1793 in philadelphia 5,000 or more people were listed in the official register of deaths between August 1 and November 9. Yellow fever is known for bringing on a characteristic yellow tinge to the eyes and skin and for the terrible black vomit cause by bleeding into the stomach.Known today to be a spread by infected mosquitoes yellow fever was long believed to be a miasmatic disease originating in rotting vegetables matter and other putrefying filth and most believed the fever to be contagious.
