
Flying the Yellow Flag of Quarantine!
Monday, February 29, 2016
Wenner Gren Foundation
Presented By
Anthropology Section
The Philadelphia Lazaretto, located on the Delaware River in Essington Pennsylvania, is the oldest surviving lazaretto or quarantine station in North America. It stands as a physical reminder of the horrific impact that yellow fever, an acute viral disease spread by the Aedis aegypti mosquito, had on society in early America. Construction of the grand Georgian edifice began in 1799, in response to the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793. That epidemic killed 5,000 of Philadelphia's inhabitants; nearly ten percent of the city's population. The Lazaretto was one of several public health initiatives undertaken by the Philadelphia city government in an attempt to prevent further outbreaks of disease.
In 2015, Monmouth University began a long-term archaeological investigation of the site. Fieldwork is providing new information about the physical layout of the Lazaretto complex and has identified artifact deposits with the potential to provide new information about the lives of the individuals who lived and worked at the site. The Lazaretto is a powerful reminder of how human relationships with other living things, in this case, mosquitoes and the viruses they carry, have shaped and continue to shape society.
There will be a dinner at 6PM: free for students; $20 for others. Lecture will be begin at 7PM.
Pre-registration is required to attend the lecture.
Speaker
Richard Veit
Monmouth University
Travel & Lodging
Meeting Location
The Wenner-Gren Foundation
470 Park Avenue South, between 31st and 32nd Streets
8th Floor
New York, NY 10016