04/26/2013
As part of the Philadelphia Science Festival, the Independence Seaport Museum is hosting Seaport Discovery Day this Sunday, April 28 from 10 am to 4 pm. The theme is Immigration, Disease, and the Port of Philadelphia. There will be exhibits and activities for all ages, including sailing tours on the AJ Meerwald.
Aboard the Spanish-American War-era ship Olympia, the Lazaretto and its preservation campaign will be represented by informational panels presenting the history of the Lazaretto and of yellow fever in particular. There will be doctors, nurses, and yellow fever patients in period garb—complete with jaundice and other symptoms. And for the first time ever (as far as I know) we will present … the smell of yellow fever! Based on detailed descriptions from 19th-century medical texts, scientists at the Monell Chemical Senses Center have concocted two samples recreating (1) the smell of yellow fever patients' skin and sweat, and (2) the smell of yellow fever's most distinctive symptom … black vomit. Samples will be in enclosed bottles, and nobody will be forced to smell them! As if that weren't enough, we have also used period descriptions to whip up a batch of black vomit (without the odor), recreating its visual appearance and texture. These are new frontiers in history! And yes, we will have barf bags on hand, just in case.
And facepainting too! (Jaundice and bleeding are available, but optional.)
I am also excited about the many other activities and exhibits that will be available. (We had a preview a couple of weeks ago.) Come support the Lazaretto, or just enjoy a day on the waterfront. Tickets are $7 in advance, $12 at the door.
Details and tickets:
http://www.phillyseaport.org/philadelphiasciencefestival
Family Fun on the water. Located on Philadelphia's Penn's Landing. Includes Admiral Dewey's 1898 flagship at the Battle of the Manila Bay, USS Olympia, and a WWII submarine.
