CIREEHwiki | Main / The North Boston typhoid epidemic of 1842

A historically important typhoid epidemic occurred in the small town of North Boston, NY in 1842. It centered at Fuller's Inn and its contaminated well. The outbreak was investigated by Dr. Austin Flint, Sr (1812–1886).

Short historical bibliography:

Flint A. Account of an epidemic fever which occurred at North Boston, Erie County, N.Y., during the months of October and November 1843. Am J Med Sci 1845;10:21–35.
Flint, Austin. The transportation and diffusion by contagion, of typhoid fever, as exemplified in the occurrence of the disease at North Boston, Erie Co, NY. Pages 377-390 of Flint, Austin: Clinical Reports on Continued Fever. Geo. H. Derby and Co, Buffalo, 1852.
Flint A. Relation of water on the propagation of fever. Reports and papers presented at meeting of the American Public Health Association in the year 1873. New York 1875.

Some commentary:

Winkelstein W Jr. Epidemiologic highlights of the past with a look towards the future. J Public Health Policy 2001;22(1):5-13.
Winkelstein W Jr. Observations on the history of epidemiology in western New York, 1843-1960. Am J Epidemiol. 1997;146(11):896-906.
Evans AS. Two errors in enteric epidemiology: the stories of Austin Flint and Max von Pettenkofer. Rev Infect Dis. 1985;7(3):434-40.
Sartwell PE. The case of the poisoned well. A reconstruction based on three papers by Austin Flint. Am J Epidemiol. 1971;93(3):150-6.

Some photos:

View of the site of Fuller's Inn as it looked in 2000.

Plaque at the site (somewhat overstated!)

1860 map of North Boston. Fuller's Inn was at the crossroads

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