2. Find a medical recommendation in the book for dealing with the yellow fever. For example, you might choose the recommendations of Dr. Rush or Dr. Currie. Write a letter to the editor of The Federal Gazette arguing in favor of this treatment. Reference other treatments and why you think they won't work. Give "examples" of cases in which your treatment worked (or at least seemed to.) For all of this, use specific examples from the book, but also use your imagination to build upon that information and round it out. Keep in mind that the medical debate carried out in the newspaper at that time was lively and sometimes even personally vicious! Try to make your editorial colorful and interesting.
The mayor's job will be to appoint members of the class to a committee similar to the one in the book. It is up to the mayor how many people will be on the committee. The entire class will then participate in a "town hall" meeting with the mayor and committee to discuss the epidemic. The mayor will assign areas of responsibility to the committee members, then classmates will volunteer to assist. The mayor will ensure that the groups are roughly even in size. Each group will then collaborate on a set of written recommendations for submission to the class. The mayor will be responsible for making sure that everyone remains on task and will offer his or her assistance and input where needed.
Hold another town hall meeting. One member of each group will present the group's recommendations to the rest of the class. Take notes during the presentations. For homework, write a report assessing your performance individually and as a group, and assess the performance of each other group. Conclude the report with a paragraph about what you learned from this activity.
4. Visit the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) website at http://www.cdc.gov. Click on "Emergency Preparedness & Response," then choose a contagious disease under "Agents, Diseases & Other Threats." Write a report including the following information:
- Outline the information included on this topic by listing the headings and subheadings (e.g., Diagnosis &
Evaluation, Infection Control, etc.);
- Provide a brief summary of how this disease can be recognized and diagnosed, as well as its effects,
how it is spread, and how quickly it spreads;
- Summarize the CDC's plan of action and/or their recommendations for individual/community
preparedness;
- Check the statistics on outbreaks of this disease. Have there been any recorded occurrences of this
disease in your state? If so, where and when?
5. Choose a "main" character in the book. How was he/she involved in the crisis? How did he/she respond? What is your opinion of the character's actions and motivations?