Vocabulary
What is an epidemic?
disease that spreads rapidly and affects many people.
Who is Dr. Walter Reed?
Leader of the U.S. Army Yellow Fever Commission.
Name one symptom of yellow fever
Fever, vomiting, jaundice, headache, internal bleeding
What organism did Finlay claim spread yellow fever?
Mosquitoes
What is a controlled experiment?
Testing one variable at a time
Define hypothesis.
An educated guess or prediction that can be tested.
Who was Carlos Finlay?
Cuban doctor who believed mosquitoes spread yellow fever.
How did yellow fever get its name?
Victims’ skin and eyes turned yellow
What did scientists originally believe spread yellow fever? )
Dirty objects (fomites)
What kind of evidence convinced scientists?
Repeated reliable results
What does contaminate mean?
To make something dirty or infected.
Who was Clara Maass?
Nurse who volunteered to be bitten by infected mosquitoes.
Where was yellow fever common in the 1800s?
Tropical/southern cities like Havana & New Orleans
What experiment did Reed’s team perform?
Letting mosquitoes bite healthy volunteers
Why were volunteers paid?
To compensate them for danger
What is a vector?
An organism that spreads disease from one host to another.
Who disagreed with Finlay at first?
Dr. Sternberg
Where in the body does yellow fever cause severe damage?
The liver
Why were experiments dangerous?
Volunteers could die
What stopped yellow fever outbreaks in Havana?
Killing mosquitoes / draining water
Define quarantine.
Separating sick or exposed people to prevent spread.
What role did Jesse Lazear play?
Tested mosquitoes and died after being bitten.
Why did yellow fever spread easily in Havana?
Unsanitary conditions, standing water, mosquitoes
What proved objects didn’t spread the disease?
People stayed in infected rooms but didn’t get sick
What stopped yellow fever outbreaks in Havana?
Killing mosquitoes / draining water