American Scandal: The Plague in San Francisco

Episode 1: The Year of the Rat

Air Date: September 16, 2025
Host: Lindsey Graham

Brief Overview

This episode opens the "Plague in San Francisco" series by tracing the ominous arrival of bubonic plague to the United States in 1900. Through historical dramatization, we follow the spread of the disease from Honolulu to San Francisco, meeting the characters charged with containing the outbreak, and observing the city’s catastrophic denial, xenophobia, and political maneuvering. The episode sets up the central conflict: a deadly epidemic colliding with prejudice and political self-interest.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Honolulu Precursor (00:00–05:00)

• The story begins in 1899 Honolulu, where panic rises after a death from the plague is confirmed.
• Health officials debate measures: expand the quarantine or burn infected houses.
• Notable moment: Dr. Nathaniel Emerson advocates for burning infected homes (“Fire. Yes. It may be the only way to contain this... We must raise the infected houses.” – Dr. Emerson, 02:30).
• The controlled fires spiral out of control, leaving over 6,000 people homeless, but failing to prevent the plague’s spread—a ship departs for San Francisco, carrying infected stowaways.

2. America Faces the Black Death (06:10–10:00)

• Lindsey Graham provides historical context: Plague killed millions in Europe and then appeared in 19th-century China, spreading to the Pacific.
• San Francisco is the key port for Hawaii—on high alert, but ill-prepared.

3. Introducing Dr. Joseph Kenyon (10:01–15:00)

• Dr. Walter Wyman, Surgeon General, reassigns talented bacteriologist Joseph Kenyon from a Washington lab to the Angel Island quarantine station off San Francisco. It’s a transparent exile due to workplace politics.
• Kenyon’s background as a pioneering bacteriologist is explored.
• He and his family grapple with the professional and social isolation of their California post.

4. The City’s Vulnerable Underside & First Plague Death (15:01–23:30)

• San Francisco’s chaotic expansion, economic stratification, and anti-Chinese sentiment are detailed.
• The living conditions of Chinese immigrants are depicted vividly; racism is enshrined in local law and culture.
• Narrative focus: Wong Chut King, a struggling Chinese laborer, falls ill with symptoms consistent with plague. He seeks help from a traditional doctor, who misdiagnoses him. Wong dies—unmourned—becoming the first mainland U.S. plague victim.

5. Bureaucratic Hesitation and Xenophobia (23:31–30:00)

• Dr. Kellogg, the city’s bacteriologist, rushes samples from Wong Chut King to Dr. Kenyon on Angel Island.
• Kenyon’s laboratory tests are set against the backdrop of political panic—City Hall and Mayor James D. Phelan act swiftly, quarantining Chinatown.
• Notable quote:
• "One false alarm and the city could descend into chaos." – Dr. Kenyon, 26:12.
• The quarantine is abruptly lifted after business outcry, press hostility, and lack of immediate confirmation.
• As Kenyon confirms the plague via dead lab animals, city officials reenter denial—the press and politicians attack and ridicule the scientific findings.

6. Rising Death Toll and Denial (30:01–38:00)

• Bodies begin piling up in Chinatown. Officials and the press largely ignore or blame the Chinese community.
• News of the outbreak leaks nationally, causing panic and new quarantines elsewhere.

7. Desperate Measures: Vaccination & Quarantine Debate (38:01–End)

• Kenyon presses for mass inoculation using the primitive and unpleasant Haffkine serum.
• Cost, logistics, and community distrust present massive obstacles.
• At the Board of Health, Mayor Phelan—voicing overt racism—questions whether only Chinese are at risk:
  • Notable quote:
  • “Could we not reasonably conclude…this disease targets only the Oriental race? That the good white folk of San Francisco have nothing to fear?” – Mayor Phelan, 42:01.
• Kenyon insists the plague knows no race or class:
  • “This pathogen does not discriminate…It will burn through families like fire through dry grass.” – Dr. Kenyon, 43:22.
• The Board begrudgingly reinstates the quarantine, with orders for rapid and quiet inoculation.
• Kenyon faces a new struggle: not only fighting the epidemic, but persuading a betrayed community to trust health authorities.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On bureaucratic risk and responsibility:

  • “Certainty is a luxury we cannot afford, gentlemen. We've already delayed too long.” – Dr. Emerson, 03:45

• On public health vs. politics:

  • “My role is not political. I’m here to prevent catastrophe.” – Dr. Kenyon, 43:44

• On racism and the scapegoating of immigrants:

  • “Their role was vital to the city’s growing prosperity, but they were not universally welcome...‘the Chinese must go.’” – Lindsey Graham, 21:38

• On the nature of infectious disease:

  • “History has shown that it doesn’t care if you’re Chinese or if you’re white, if you’re rich or poor…it will burn through families like fire through dry grass.” – Dr. Kenyon, 43:22

Timestamps of Key Segments

• Opening Dramatization (Honolulu, burning of Chinatown): 00:00–04:55
• Plague History & U.S. Context: 06:10–10:00
• Kenyon’s Assignment & Discontent: 10:01–15:00
• Wong Chut King’s Demise: 16:40–23:00
• Diagnosis, Quarantine, and Political Backlash: 24:00–32:00
• Rising Denial and Plague’s Progress: 32:00–38:00
• Health Board Showdown, Racist Denial, & Quarantine Reinstated: 41:30–46:00

Episode Tone

The narrative tone is tense, somber, and urgent, with a strong undercurrent of frustration at bureaucracy and bigotry. Lindsay Graham’s historical narration is measured but often wry, while dramatized dialogue captures the stakes, fear, and biases of the era.

Summary Flow

This episode blends gripping storytelling with thoughtful historical analysis, moving from tragic actions in Honolulu to the unfolding denial and scapegoating in San Francisco. It vividly illustrates how prejudice, politics, and catastrophic underestimation of disease can collide, setting the stage for a public health disaster.

For listeners seeking more context or resources:

• Recommended readings: "Black Death at the Golden Gate" by David K. Randall, "The Barbary Plague" by Marilyn Chase, and "Plague and Fire" by James C. Moore.

End of Episode 1 Summary: The Year of the Rat