Delaware County Medicine & Health Winter 2017 - 15

Lazaretto, he was summoned as a consultant and immediately
identified	the	disease	as	yellow	fever.		Then	in	a	competent	
manner he treated the victims of the disease and issued
directives designed to control its spread. During this period
he made some critical comments about the performance of
the Philadelphia Board of Health, the agency responsible
for the Lazaretto, and in consequence got into a bitter
newspaper dispute in which he demonstrated mastery of the
written word that was equivalent to his medical expertise.
When the yellow fever outbreak had run its course, his
father's health being poor, Dr. Ulrich was persuaded by a
number of friends to remain in the area, and he established
a practice in Chester. In addition to his medical practice,
having graduated from the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy
before becoming a doctor, he opened a pharmacy at Third
Street in Chester on a corner that became known as Third
and Ulrich. His practice was immediately successful, and
his name eventually became a household word in Delaware
County. He had a wide range of interests and talents. He
became	the	first	chief 	of 	Medicine	at	the	Chester	Hospital.		
He ran for the Pennsylvania State Senate on the Democratic
ticket and of course lost in Republican Delaware County.
He was known as an orator, and served as a delegate to
the American Medical Association. He served several
times as president of the Delaware County Medical Society
and was elected president of the Pennsylvania Medical

Society. During his later years, he became a successful
breeder	of 	fine	horses	at	his	farm	in	Newark,	Delaware.
While reading through old newspaper accounts of the 1870
yellow fever outbreak, one senses the almost palpable fear
that	was	reflected	in	the	news	stories.		Those	in	positions	of 	
authority were accused of failing to take proper precautions
against the spread of the disease: in particular charges of
laxity in quarantine were leveled at the administrators of the
Lazaretto. Ignorance of the cause and method of spread of
the disease led to common misconceptions. For example,
when trash that was removed from the brig "Home" was
burnt at the quarantine grounds, it was suggested that the
smoke borne by a south wind had carried disease to the
residents	of 	the	Lazaretto.		It	was	firmly	believed	that	the	
disease was contagious and this led to strict quarantine
measures. Fear of contagion extended to the logwood
cargo of the "Home." As it lay on a wharf, nobody wanted
it there, but nobody wanted to go near it to move it.
Finally, it was evident from the tenor of the news
reports that the end of the outbreak brought a sense of
profound relief to the community. Doctors, nurses and
other attendants of the sick were accorded the utmost
admiration for their courage in risking exposure to a
disease that was accompanied by such a high fatality rate.

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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Delaware County Medicine & Health Winter 2017
