Identifier

etd-11142005-140210

Degree

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

Geography and Anthropology

Document Type

Thesis

Abstract

Most investigations that examine diffusion of disease through urban areas give relatively scant attention to the 'micro-environment.' Employing the many methods of macro-environmental analysis, most studies do not attempt to identify street-level or even residence-level temporal-spatial patterns of disease diffusion. As a result, the mechanisms that lead to diffusion on such small scales are left relatively undefined. There is no doubt that cumulatively these small-scale mechanisms contribute to the diffusion of disease over the urban environment. However, the level of contribution and the specific details of their dynamics remain unclear. This thesis investigated some of these unexplored areas by presenting a temporal-spatial analysis of the Memphis Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1878. The area (downtown Memphis), the time (August-December 1878), and the epidemic (yellow fever) are centered around a collection of books, maps, and reference materials that range from contemporary accounts of the epidemic to modern virology texts. This information was used to construct a modern database and GIS that could be analyzed and manipulated by various statistical means. Hot spots and multi-death residences in particular were examined for interrelated patterns. Temporal-spatial cartographic representations of these areas proved to be the easiest means by which to extract disease patterns. Results indicated that social and cultural interactions probably play a greater role in yellow fever dissemination than previously thought. However, additional studies of complete data sets are required for a more comprehensive understanding of the exact dynamics and mechanisms that underlie urban yellow fever diffusion.

Date

2005

Document Availability at the Time of Submission

Release the entire work immediately for access worldwide.

Committee Chair

Andrew Curtis

DOI

10.31390/gradschool_theses.3718

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