A slight epidemic : the government cover-up of black plague in Los Angeles : what happened and why it matters / Frank Feldinger.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Feldinger, Frank.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Disease Outbreaks--history.

Epidemics.

History.

Plague.

California.

Plague--history.

History, 20th Century.

Mexican Americans--history.

Politics.

Prejudice.

Plague--California--Los Angeles--History--20th century.

Epidemics--California--Los Angeles--History--20th century.

California--Los Angeles.

Medical Subjects:

Disease Outbreaks--history.

California.

Plague--history.

History, 20th Century.

Mexican Americans--history.

Politics.

Prejudice.

Physical Description:

212 pages

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

Los Angeles, CA : Silver Lake Pub., 2008.

Summary:

On a warm Sunday afternoon in late September, a large group of people from the working-class Macy Street district near downtown Los Angeles gathered together on the front porch of a modest boarding house to swap stories and avoid the smoggy heat. One of the men told an off-color tale about finding a dead rat in the basement. Everyone laughed. Within six weeks, everyone on the porch would be dead. And a bubonic plague outbreak would be in full force. In the weeks that followed, local health officials, business leaders and politicians would contribute to one of the most ruthless cover-ups in U.S. history. They would deny and downplay the effects of the bubonic plague outbreak. They would enforce a brutal quarantine and withhold information from the public. They'd stand by while whole neighborhoods were burned to the ground.

There have been brief mentions of the L.A. plague outbreak in public health journals and passing comments in California history books. But this is the first complete telling of the story that has been suppressed for more than 70 years.

Contents:

Chapter 1 Golden State, Black Death 9

Chapter 2 Year of Wonders 15

Chapter 3 Outbreak! 25

Chapter 4 La Passionaria of Macy Street 33

Chapter 5 Beautiful but Damned 45

Chapter 6 No Little Plans 69

Chapter 7 Cover-Up 81

Chapter 8 The Plague Is Always with Us 97

Chapter 9 A Cold Day in Hell 117

Chapter 10 "We Had to Destroy..." 135

Chapter 11 Tomorrow's Plague 151

Chapter 12 Judgment Day 171.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 189-204) and index.

ISBN:

9781563438851

1563438852

OCLC:

191727582