The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1849-08-06
QUARANTINE.

QUARANTINE.
ANY observation of the marine intelligence of our
own and of other countries cannot fail to make
obvious the immense Inconvenience to the CONNER
cial world caused by the strngency of the laws and
regulations upon this all-important subject The
recent discoveries and examinations by medical
philosophers have preached and almost established
the doctrine of non-contagion, and superinduced a
belief that all sanitary restrictions in the great ma
jority of cases, materially njure the few, without
in the least benefting the many. In most of the
cases Of quarantine restriction the burden falls ex-
clusively upon the maritime interest," the business
Of which is entirely interrupted, while every other
avenue of contagon, supposing it possible, is left
open and unguarded. For instance, if quarantine
regulations were established and enforced at the
Port of Boston, and if any disease considered con-
tagious prevailed in New York, the vessel which
occupied six days in the passage would be sub
jeced to delay, while the railroad car, reaching the
point in eighteen hours, would pass free and
unimpeded.
How weighty those restrictions press upon COM
merce may be gathered from the following sum-
mary of the log-book of an American captain,
published in the Charleston Mercury in the frs, in
stance:
He arrived at Havana on the 10th April, and
sailed from that port on the 26th November follow
ing, with clean bill Of health, for Gibraltar and
Marseilles, with a cargo of sugar and coffee. On
his arrival at Gibraltar all hands in good health,
he received orders that in consequence of having
on board cotton goods, or goods made in part Of
cotton, he must proceed to Mahon, and there per-
form quarantine of sixty days.
The only cotton goods he had on board was a
lad. <~.I .x,I he. S.cI- L
antine of sixty days. He then set sail, with his
papers signed by the French consul and arrived at
Marseilles in ten days. Although the port of de-
parture was healthy, the ship free of all disease.
and no cotton goods on board, he was ordered off to
the Pomaque Islands, where he had 10 perform an
other sixty days quarantine. He was three months
in Marsees, when he left all in good health for Ha-
vana and Sisal Yucatan which he reached in orty-
1--WE days. He sailed thence with cargo of log,oood
for New York, where he arrived in August At
Staten Island he was boarded by the health officer,
and required to perform quarantine until the LIST Of
October, when he obtained permission TO take his
ship to the city. The summary Of this log is, that
during ten months cruising, and in a clean and
healthy ship, full half the time was spent perform
ing quarantine"
Not venturing to state that all old prejudces on
the subject Of quarantine are idle and senseless il
is worth while to state that many of the highest
medical authority maintain that such is the fact
The British Government, always anxious to pro-
mote science and art, especially when they have
connexon with industrial and commercial progress.
has caused inquiries to be instituted on the matter.
which have elected many replies, Of which one from
the London Board of Health, from which we make
an extract, merits particular attention 1t was adj
dressed to Lord Palmerston, dated December |,
lS4s and had reference especially to Asiatc cholera
The General Board of Health would recall to
your ordship's attention the mischievous opera
ton Of quarantine regulations, on the professional
and public mind, IN diverting attention from real
measures of precaution and fixing it on those which
are purely imaginary. DR.. Christison says clean
experience shows that he is right But quarantine,
by disregarding cleanliness and ventilation, by con-
hning and congregatng, instead of dispensing in
fected persons, and by thus accommodating filth and
foul air, creates and maintains the very conditions
which, II there be present the ZONES OF pestence
must give 10 1t the utmost concentration and yiru-
ence.
From evidence, Of which they have now laid be-
fore your lordshp a part, the General Board of
Health beg to state that they have arrived at the
conviction, that the expense incurred by quarantine
esablis hments is worse than waste of public money!
and that the general experience OF their inutlty and
their mlschIevousness justifes and requires their
abandonment They are also of opinion that il
would be alike honorable and advantageous to Great
Britain TO set the example to other NATIONS of dis
continuing f'r the future the enforcement Of regua-
tons which, IN the Judgment of all competent and
dislnterested persons who have paid attention tn
their operations, cannot be carried into effect with
out nficting evils of most grievous nature with
out any compromising benefit whatever and which
had their origin in times when the nature of epi-
demc diseases, and the laws which regulate their
rise and spread, were comparatively unknownn
The report shows that the quarantine originated
IN the east the birthplace Of planetary medicine.
land IL known that the peculiar power of the num-
Der forty was supposed to be no small per Of il.
efciency,) where il never had the effect of arrest
ing the plague. There has, in addiuon, never been
the slightest reason think that the observance of
quarantine promoted its diffusion
Epidemics, whether typboidal or choleraic, are
dIffused only IN two ways by the atmosphere,
and when this is vltiated no human skill can either
exclude or purify IL or as ship fever is dssemina-
ted. When even healthy persons are shut up in
close room for length Of time, the walls will be
found to be covered with particles of semi-corrpted
animal matter. Persons breathing this air ,nhale
The fractions Of this matter, which, falling upon the
lender and sensitive membranes, inocuste them
with disease. Now, in this case, quarantine abso-
ulely promotes disease, which never probablv
would have originated had the victims been allowed
% separate and correct impurity by the action of a
healthy atmosphere These ideus are gathered from
he publication put forth by the high authority of
he London Board Of Health, and seem important
;nough TO merit attention and scrutiny by the local
authorities and the sanitary officers of nation with
70 vast commerce as ours