Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1859-05-02
The Subject of Quarantine.

At the last quarantine convention held al
Baltimore, in April, 1853, Il committee wa
appointed to investigate and report upon
certain questions which came before that
body: one of which was. Have guarantees
secured the object for which they were IN
vented" aud if the committee decided in the
negative, they were instructed to assign the
reasons of the failure. The report Of the
committee, composed Of highly respectable
scientific gentlemen, on this and other points
submitted to them. has just been published,
and il entitled 10 much attention. 1t enters
very fully into the question Of the utility oi
quarantine, aud lays down certain princl-
pies, in substance ~ follows:
4. strict quarantine OF infected persons for
the longest period the iucubatiSe stage oil
any disease is known 10 last, and t" tho
rough publication Of all infected vessels.
clothing, effects and merchandise. are mea.
sures well adapted 10 prevent the introduc-
ton from without Of all positively contagious
diseases.
But if quarantine ha made To CONSIST sim
ply in the prohibition for II dehuite period
Vt time. Of the entrance Of injected vessels,
Irrsons or merchandise. into IL place, without
any measures being instituted for the puriti-
cation of tho prohibited ships, with all the
persons and things Oh board them, II will
prove totally Intellectual for the exclusion oi
contagious diseases.
No quarantine measures, however Judi
ciuus III themselves. and however strictly Ell
forced. are II certain and absolute protection
AGAINST those diseases which, NJ longer or
shorter intervals. make their appearance un-
der the character of widely extended cPI-
demic-. or ~ endemic, under certain SAM
tur, conditions in gwen localities.
That. iii fact, I'm face Of apparently the
most impossible barriers, Of the best devised
guards the most vigilant and sanitary cor
dun,-ol all the securities that wisdom could
devise or untiring zeal and industry carry
into xecution-rpidemi diseases have inya
ded community after community, while on
the other hand they have entirely spared
Others where not the slightest precautionary
measures have been adopted i'll the hope oi
keeping them out The inference from
the foregoing is thus sci forth by the com
mltlee:-
But while the committee asserts-what
the history Of all epidemic and all endemic
malarial Diseases proves incuntestably-tIat
against such diseases quarantine must ever
prove M Intellectual barrier. it would by No.
means be understood as intoxicating the doe
trinc- Df the utter wurthlessness of such pre-
~yenti,c measure under all circumstances
TO discard them entirely would be equally
- improper and dangerous rs 70 rely on
them for tiat degree Of protection they are
incompetent to yield. a juilclous and we'll
administered quarantine will. beyond doubt,
afford II very sure protection against the IN
PRODUCTION of Internationally contagious dis
eases, rs smallpox, for instance; and even
To Il limited extent. and under particular
circumstances, against the introduction Oi
such IA are tho result of malaria, using the
latter term in its general sense as Indicated
by its etynology. Nor is the committee
prepared 10 say that Il vessel may not arrive
with MI amount Uf infectious atmosphere IN
her hold. sufficient 10 produce under all 9TH
er circumstances favorable to the develop
ment of ono or other disease. yellow fever. or
cholera, or typhoid or typhuS fever. III such
~ come within the sphere of it, influence:
and ii several vessels similarly circunnstan-
ned shall arrive at the same time, or within
a short period ui each other, there is no cal
culating 10 what extent they may become
the means vi p~ropmSatlng one or other ut
tue diseases named, among the community;
and this. too. without a single case of death
or Of disease having occurred III board Of
such vessels, and without their having come
from or touched ut All infected port"
We incline to think that this il Il fair eS-
innate Of the value Of quarantine regulations;
that is 10 FAY Of quarantine regulations Of
which thorough publication II persons aud
things forms a part; which are strictly eu-
forced; and which have reicr"nc" not nlon.
10 the sickiy or healthy condition ol The port
from which the vessels have come. but 10
the actual condition of such vessel aud her
company even though from II healthy port.
that condition u DC a,certained by i full,
deliberate and systematic examination By
we'll instructed experts. ut such a place and
I under such regulations AS shall preclude the
possibility of the vessel communicating dis
rase. should she prove TO be foul and intec-
ted. Aud t. this also must DO added pro-
per internal sanitary measures. for without
them II quarantine is comparatively useless.
--Neu fork C0mm,t c,al.