The Fever Of 1721: The Epidemic That Revolutionized Medicine And American Politics

The Fever of 1721 was a pivotal year in American history, as it prefigured the events of the American Revolution in 1776. At the center of this year was a smallpox epidemic in Boston, which had a significant impact on medicine, journalism, and colonial politics. The book, written by Stephen Coss, brings to life the key figures involved in this epidemic, including Cotton Mather, Zabdiel Boylston, James Franklin, Benjamin Franklin, and Elisha Cooke. Mather convinced Boylston to try a controversial method of inoculation, which sparked public outrage and political resistance. The events of 1721 marked a shift towards modern politics and the resistance against British rule, as seen through the actions of Cooke and Samuel Adams. The book provides a fascinating and informative look into the atmosphere of Boston in 1721 and the people who played a role in shaping American history.

The intelligent and sweeping (Booklist) story of the crucial year that prefigured the events of the American Revolution in 1776and how Bostons smallpox epidemic was at the center of it all.

In The Fever of 1721 Stephen Coss brings to life the amazing cast of characters who changed the course of medical history, American journalism, and colonial revolution: Cotton Mather, the great Puritan preacher, son of the President of Harvard College; Zabdiel Boylston, a doctor whose name is on one of Bostons avenues; James Franklin and his younger brother Benjamin; and Elisha Cooke and his prot*g* Samuel Adams.

Coss describes how, during the worst smallpox epidemic in Boston history Mather convinced Doctor Boylston to try making an incision in the arm of a healthy person and implanting it with smallpox matter. Public outrage forced Boylston into hiding and Mathers house was firebombed.

In 1721, Boston was a dangerous placeIn Cosss telling, the troubles of 1721 represent a shift away from a colony of faith and toward the modern politics of representative government (The New York Times Book Review). Elisha Cooke and Samuel Adams were beginning to resist the British in the run-up to the American Revolution. Meanwhile, a bold young printer names James Franklin launched Americas first independent newspaper and landed in jail. His teenaged brother and apprentice, Benjamin Franklin, however, learned his trade in Jamess shop and became a father of the Independence movement.

One by one, the atmosphere in Boston in 1721 simmered and ultimately boiled over, leading to the full drama of the American Revolution. Fascinating, informational, and pleasing to readCosss gem of colonial history immerses readers into eighteenth-century Boston and introduces a collection of fascinating people and intriguing circumstances (Library Journal, starred review).