Epidemic Invasions: Yellow Fever and the Limits of Cuban Independence, 1878-1930

by Mariola Espinosa

In the early fall of 1897, yellow fever shuttered businesses, paralyzed trade, and caused tens of thousand of people living in the southern United States to abandon their homes and flee for their lives. Originating in Cuba, the deadly plague inspired disease-control measures that not only protected U.S. trade interests but also justified the political and economic domination of the island nation from which the pestilence came. By focusing on yellow fever, Epidemic Invasions uncovers for the first time how the devastating power of this virus profoundly shaped the relationship between the two countries. 

 

Yellow fever in Cuba, Mariola Espinosa demonstrates, motivated the United States to declare war against Spain in 1898, and, after the war was won and the disease eradicated, the United States demanded that Cuba pledge in its new constitution to maintain the sanitation standards established during the occupation. By situating the history of the fight against yellow fever within its political, military, and economic context, Espinosa reveals that the U.S. program of sanitation and disease control in Cuba was not a charitable endeavor. Instead, she shows that it was an exercise in colonial public health that served to eliminate threats to the continued expansion of U.S. influence in the world.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

189 pages, Paperback

First published November 15, 2009

Reviews

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

A concise argument on how biomedicine justified American imperialism efforts in Cuba. Follows a digestible chronology, and offered a unique perspective on a topic I was unfamiliar with. Enjoyed reading this for class.

[Opal Rhea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Relatively engaging historical text. Excellent examples of how far reaching the effect of the yellow fever was on the beginning on the 20th century. Three stars because the book got repetitive in my opinion towards the end.

[Elly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting. I rated it 3 because I have no strong feelings one way or the other.

[Erin]

w 24, medicine and empire
exams - medicine - disease and containment

[Carrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent environmental history text that revises the standard narrative of the Spanish-American war and our relationship with Cuba. Very readable! A quick but informative read.