In the actual event, the primary volunteers were Clara Maas, a nurse, and Dr Jesse William Lazear. It is unclear if any soldiers volunteered. Maas contracted the disease but recovered. Later, she allowed herself to be bitten a second time to determine if having the disease provided immunity. She again contracted the disease. She died from this infection. Lazear was the doctor who determined that the disease was mosquito-borne. Without telling others, he allowed himself to be bitten by an infected mosquito. He died from the illness.
Many cast members in studio records/casting call lists did not appear or were not identifiable in the movie. These were (with their character names): Frank O'Connor (Officer), Billy Arnold (Officer), Larry Steers (Officer), Francisco Marán (Interpreter), Joe Dominguez (Second Interpreter), Dick Wessel (Cavalryman), Ted Oliver (Cavalryman) and Charles Sullivan (Cavalryman).
The play opened on Broadway in New York City, New York, USA on 6 March 1934 and had 79 performances. The opening night cast included Sam Levene, who originated his movie role as Busch in the play, James Stewart, Barton MacLane, Eddie Acuff, Eduardo Ciannelli, Robert Keith, Myron McCormick, Millard Mitchell, Robert Shayne and Jack Carr.
The play was based in part on Paul De Kruif's 1926 novel "Microbe Hunters," which had a chapter on Walter Reed's work on yellow fever.