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Black Death at the Golden Gate: The Race to Save America from the Bubonic Plague by David K. Randall
shanaqui's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
slow-paced
4.0
Did you know that there was an outbreak of Yersinia pestis in San Francisco in 1900? And that the disease which caused the Black Death remains endemic in squirrels in the US to this day?
If that's frightening, don't worry too much for right now: it's quite rare for a human to become infected in the US (usually around 7 people per year), and it still responds readily to treatments. For now, we don't need to worry about huge outbreaks of bubonic plague (or pneumonic plague) spreading through the US population and to the world. But in 1900, that nightmare situation was still very real, and the health service were the only thing standing in the way -- in a San Francisco that was focused on individual profit, built on the gold rush.
It starts off as a quite slow read, because the scientist in charge of Angel Island at that time was not exactly a compelling figure. Kinyoun was a brilliant scientist, but an indifferent doctor and a racist, and incapable of building warm bonds with the people around him. He failed to get a grip on the disease, and managed to make himself so hated that he just about needed an armed guard to finally leave the city.
It's a later member of the service who managed this. His academic chops were not so impressive, and he even had a slight reputation for laziness, but he had the gift of listening to the expertise of others, and making connections where others were burning bridges. He was so successful that he was sent back to San Francisco again and again in quest of finally reaching 0 human infections -- and off the back of this, Rupert Blue eventually became the Surgeon General of the US. I was fascinated to read about him, to learn that he also supported a national health service in the US, and best of all, that he apparently attended my current university (London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine)?!
I did really enjoy this book, and especially the mini-biography of Blue. The way he synthesised information and created connections to get the work done is exactly what a public health officer needs to do, and he makes a perfect example.
If that's frightening, don't worry too much for right now: it's quite rare for a human to become infected in the US (usually around 7 people per year), and it still responds readily to treatments. For now, we don't need to worry about huge outbreaks of bubonic plague (or pneumonic plague) spreading through the US population and to the world. But in 1900, that nightmare situation was still very real, and the health service were the only thing standing in the way -- in a San Francisco that was focused on individual profit, built on the gold rush.
It starts off as a quite slow read, because the scientist in charge of Angel Island at that time was not exactly a compelling figure. Kinyoun was a brilliant scientist, but an indifferent doctor and a racist, and incapable of building warm bonds with the people around him. He failed to get a grip on the disease, and managed to make himself so hated that he just about needed an armed guard to finally leave the city.
It's a later member of the service who managed this. His academic chops were not so impressive, and he even had a slight reputation for laziness, but he had the gift of listening to the expertise of others, and making connections where others were burning bridges. He was so successful that he was sent back to San Francisco again and again in quest of finally reaching 0 human infections -- and off the back of this, Rupert Blue eventually became the Surgeon General of the US. I was fascinated to read about him, to learn that he also supported a national health service in the US, and best of all, that he apparently attended my current university (London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine)?!
I did really enjoy this book, and especially the mini-biography of Blue. The way he synthesised information and created connections to get the work done is exactly what a public health officer needs to do, and he makes a perfect example.
oleksandr's review against another edition
3.0
This is a history of bubonic plague arriving in San Francisco in 1900 and attempts to understand / cure / hide up it in the following months and years. I read is as a part of monthly reading for March 2021 at Non Fiction Book Club group.
The book starts just before the Christmas in Honolulu in 1899, when a Chinese man is found with markers of plague – enlarged lymph nodes. Just a bit more that 120 years ago no one knew what causes the plague and how to fight it – so the most ‘efficient’ solution for many was just to burn Chinatown…
In the US the author starts with a prominent medical bacteriologist Joseph Kinyoun, whom current Surgeon General Wyman seen as his competition for the seat and therefore sent as far as he could – to California, which developed rapidly after the gold fever of the mid-XIX century. This was a lucky strike for Frisco, because medical biologist were a rare thing then. The first victims of the plague were found among Chinese and Japanese from the hip from Hong Kong, and the opinion of not only illiterate masses, but many medics, including Kinyoun was that the disease hits ‘lower races’, Asians, whether due to their innate inferiority or diet or ‘uncleanliness’ which is often assigned to ‘the other’. This fed already active anti- Chinese racism among whites.
The first reaction of local authorities regarding the cases was complete denial – assuming misdiagnosis of a venereal disease (enlarged lymphs in groin). This only intensified when Kinyoun went public and several other states suggested hat they may stop all communication with San Francisco to prevent the spread. Chinese were afraid that if among them new plague cases are found, this can lead to negative outcomes from exile to burning, so they hide victims, lowering official statistics.
One argument in favor of fake alarm was that the plague victim number remained small. Only later it was detected that flea that spread the disease, in plague in China and India was Pulex cheposis, but iun SF most common was the Northern European species, Ceratophyllus fasciatus. The difference is that
the Indian rat flea has a spiny ridge in its abdomen where blood from its most recent meal collects, eventually blocking material from reaching the stomach. That clot leads the famished insect to aggressively bite any living mammal that it encounters. Fresh blood helps to dislodge the clot, spurring the flea to essentially vomit some of the material stalled in its belly into the skin of its new victim. The European flea, by comparison, retains less blood in its stomach, leaving it less likely to develop a blockage that prompts it to attack as aggressively. When it does bite, the flea deposits only a fraction of its stomach material into the body of its new host, minimizing its ability to spread infection compared with its more ravenous Asian cousin.
The story goes on with Kinyoun de facto expelled from the city and replaced by Rupert Blue, with 1906 quake, with more research and prevention measures.
An interesting story, which definitely calls for comparisons with the present Covid pandemics.
The book starts just before the Christmas in Honolulu in 1899, when a Chinese man is found with markers of plague – enlarged lymph nodes. Just a bit more that 120 years ago no one knew what causes the plague and how to fight it – so the most ‘efficient’ solution for many was just to burn Chinatown…
In the US the author starts with a prominent medical bacteriologist Joseph Kinyoun, whom current Surgeon General Wyman seen as his competition for the seat and therefore sent as far as he could – to California, which developed rapidly after the gold fever of the mid-XIX century. This was a lucky strike for Frisco, because medical biologist were a rare thing then. The first victims of the plague were found among Chinese and Japanese from the hip from Hong Kong, and the opinion of not only illiterate masses, but many medics, including Kinyoun was that the disease hits ‘lower races’, Asians, whether due to their innate inferiority or diet or ‘uncleanliness’ which is often assigned to ‘the other’. This fed already active anti- Chinese racism among whites.
The first reaction of local authorities regarding the cases was complete denial – assuming misdiagnosis of a venereal disease (enlarged lymphs in groin). This only intensified when Kinyoun went public and several other states suggested hat they may stop all communication with San Francisco to prevent the spread. Chinese were afraid that if among them new plague cases are found, this can lead to negative outcomes from exile to burning, so they hide victims, lowering official statistics.
One argument in favor of fake alarm was that the plague victim number remained small. Only later it was detected that flea that spread the disease, in plague in China and India was Pulex cheposis, but iun SF most common was the Northern European species, Ceratophyllus fasciatus. The difference is that
the Indian rat flea has a spiny ridge in its abdomen where blood from its most recent meal collects, eventually blocking material from reaching the stomach. That clot leads the famished insect to aggressively bite any living mammal that it encounters. Fresh blood helps to dislodge the clot, spurring the flea to essentially vomit some of the material stalled in its belly into the skin of its new victim. The European flea, by comparison, retains less blood in its stomach, leaving it less likely to develop a blockage that prompts it to attack as aggressively. When it does bite, the flea deposits only a fraction of its stomach material into the body of its new host, minimizing its ability to spread infection compared with its more ravenous Asian cousin.
The story goes on with Kinyoun de facto expelled from the city and replaced by Rupert Blue, with 1906 quake, with more research and prevention measures.
An interesting story, which definitely calls for comparisons with the present Covid pandemics.
jodiguerra's review against another edition
5.0
Such a great narrative history book and oh so relevant for our times!
Look out America, David K. Randall may just become our next David McCullough. On par with McCullough and Candice Millard, Mr. Randall is able to synthesize a great deal of detail and create a compelling and coherent story.
I highly recommend this one!
Look out America, David K. Randall may just become our next David McCullough. On par with McCullough and Candice Millard, Mr. Randall is able to synthesize a great deal of detail and create a compelling and coherent story.
I highly recommend this one!
knugirl's review against another edition
This was fascinating. Randall tells the story of the plague in the United States, specifically San Francisco, and opens the door to a past that feels so surreal it came across to me almost as an alternate reality.
A great read if you are interested in how medicine fought the spread of a disease they didn’t yet fully understand at a time when garbage, fleas and rats were rampant in streets and households. Racism and greed also led to a denial of the risk and reality of the outbreak by the citizens and politicians, creating an eerie lens to view the current discussions around vaccines, immigration and more in this country.
I recommend if any of the above appeals to you.
A great read if you are interested in how medicine fought the spread of a disease they didn’t yet fully understand at a time when garbage, fleas and rats were rampant in streets and households. Racism and greed also led to a denial of the risk and reality of the outbreak by the citizens and politicians, creating an eerie lens to view the current discussions around vaccines, immigration and more in this country.
I recommend if any of the above appeals to you.
tanyarobinson's review against another edition
4.0
Black Death at the Golden Gate felt so relevant as I read it side-by-side with news stories of Coronavirus quarantines. I had no idea that the bubonic plague had made a frightening appearance in 20th century America! But I was fascinated to learn about the then-cutting-edge methods made to fight the spread of the disease. Surgeon General Rupert Blue was at the forefront of recognizing ratborne fleas as the vector, and led a citywide campaign for San Franciscans to rid themselves of rats.
Just as today's Coronavirus, centered in China, has been a focus of racist anger, Californians of the early 20th century blamed the residents of Chinatown for the plague outbreak. Several times the entire district was put under quarantine. Some called for the entire city of San Francisco to be locked down, and some outsiders even demanded all California be quarantined. It was interesting to ponder, as I read this book, what is the appropriate reaction to quickly spreading disease? How do we balance individual liberties with threats to the health of larger communities?
4 stars for this very interesting and timely book. I would have enjoyed it even without the Coronavirus dominating the news cycle, but it's perfect that it rose to the top of my to-read list this week.
Just as today's Coronavirus, centered in China, has been a focus of racist anger, Californians of the early 20th century blamed the residents of Chinatown for the plague outbreak. Several times the entire district was put under quarantine. Some called for the entire city of San Francisco to be locked down, and some outsiders even demanded all California be quarantined. It was interesting to ponder, as I read this book, what is the appropriate reaction to quickly spreading disease? How do we balance individual liberties with threats to the health of larger communities?
4 stars for this very interesting and timely book. I would have enjoyed it even without the Coronavirus dominating the news cycle, but it's perfect that it rose to the top of my to-read list this week.
secondhandshelves's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
reflective
slow-paced
4.75
c100's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, and Xenophobia