It was somewhat ironic that the book I was reading this week was “The American Plague” by Molly Caldwell Crosby and published in 2006. Plague: A widespread affliction or calamity, especially one seen as a divine retribution – The American Heritage Dictionary.

So after thinking about the deaths of Dr. Daniel M. Rice and his wife Henrie Laurie, I thought Yellow Fever may have been the calamity that befell this family. Now it could have been a variety of other things but the answer I was looking for was Yellow Fever - “Yellow Fever is what is known as a flavivirus, a group of viruses spread by mosquitoes that include West Nile, Dengue and Japanese Encephalitis. A virus is one of the smallest beings in envolution’s survival game of the fittest, mutating and coalescing in order to thrive, its ultimate goal being epidemic.”

So along with this book I wanted to give credit where credit is deserved to the “Yellow Fever Board” and the men, many who died who identified and helped to conquer this beast the Aedes aegypti mosquito. Major Walter Reed, Contract Surgeon James Carroll, Contract Surgeon Aristides Agramonte and Contract Surgeon Jesse W. Lazear.

I leave you with this last line of the book “The likihood of the American Plague returning to the United States is anyone’s guess… Still viruses have taught us one thing throughtout history, and it is this: That their will and ability to survive may be stronger than ours.”

 A beautful creature, designed for effectiveness but we are better off today because of their work, we have a vaccine, we have screens,  air conditioning, insect repellent  and pesticides and we have the knowledge that ”The Yellow Fever Board” and scientists since have provided.