The Saffron Scourge: A History of Yellow Fever in Louisiana, 1796-1905

A History of Yellow Fever in Louisiana, 1796-1905

by Jo Ann Carrigan

“Saffron Scourge is the definitive account of yellow fever in Louisiana . . 
. it is unlikely that this work, grounded as it is in a thorough reading of 
primary manuscripts and medical sources, will be superseded in its careful 
telling of this powerful story."

- Journal of Southern History

“Saffron Scourge is a significant contribution to both the history of the 
South and the History of Medicine.”

- Louisiana History

“Jo Ann Carrigan’s history of yellow fever in Louisiana from 1796 through 
1905 is a strong example . . . for those working in public health, 
epidemiology, or medical ethics, [that] an informed acquaintance with the 
historical record can be both revealing and consoling.”

- The New England Journal of Medicine

This ground breaking study is the first to comprehensively examine the 
history of yellow fever in Louisiana. As the state’s largest city and 
principal port, New Orleans was frequently the center of yellow fever 
outbreaks. Brought in repeatedly via shipping from Latin American endemic 
centers, the disease spread from the city throughout the region, carried by 
infected persons or mosquitoes, along the expanding lines of trade and 
travel—river, coastal, and later rail. In its numerous attacks spread over 
more than a century of southern history, the saffron scourge destroyed 
thousands of lives, cost millions of dollars, and affected almost every 
facet of community life.

Carrigan discusses every major epidemic from 1796 through 1905, with 
attention to the historical peculiarities of major visitations as well as 
similarities observed in all yellow fever epidemics. Saffron Scourge then 
shifts to topical discussions of medical theories and controversies, 
changing patterns of therapy, the social, political, and economic 
consequences of yellow fever, and the means by which medical science finally 
conquered the disease.

This updated edition of Saffron Scourge contains a new introductory chapter 
that samples and discusses the relevant works on yellow fever that have 
appeared in the twenty years since the book’s original publication.

ISBN: 9781935754480

Softcover, 542 pp., ©2016