The New York herald., 1869-05-14
QUARANTINE.


The Risk We Run from Foreign Epicemics-
The Vaccination Imposition-kefOrm Need
ed-WhO Owns the Quarantine Groundss
quarantine may or may not be useless institu-
ton according to the hands into which it falls. An
honest intelligent, efficient health onicer could as
the chief officer OF our Quarantine station, In
spire that degree OF confidence and secure that
composure OF mind among our citizens 80
essential In the season when foreign fevers
are liable to be introduced among us. Fear,
as all medical experience testihes is an ever
ready helpmate OF plague itself but the fear which
springs from q consciousness OF being left to the
mercy OF every vagrant epidemic that emigrants
from abroad may bring to our harbor, is even more
potent than that which the actual presence
OF contagious disease inspires. 1t Is in no
spirit OF personal hostility to DR.. swinburne
that the HERALD addresses itself to the subject
OF reform in the management Of quarantine. That
department OF our sanitary system Is more impor-
tant to the citizens OF New York than any other No
port in the world is the entrepot OF such host OF
emigrants as this. They come comes an invading
army, in fleets, ana are landed by regiments at
time. They hail from all parts of Europe, from
many parts where tropical diseases sweep like the
sim0om OF the Sahara and too often leave the seeds
OF misery and death behind. They come to q city
already overcrowded with reeking tenement houses,
lnducement In those swelteripg days OF July for
plague to come and take up permanent
residence as Constantinople with all its filthy Mus
sulmans This is why quarantine becomes Of 80
much moment Emigration this year viii be larger
than ever before. The summer may be unusually
warm, and no precautions can be considered too
great that will keep that dread enemy. the plague,
If Castle Garden has to be closed up or removed
to Sandy Hook. better let 1t be done than that emil
Ing population OF Madison or Greenwich streets.
ane rich people OF New YORK OF course feel little
places at q moments notice; but 1t is possible they
may return to find the grass growing IN the streets
n,ent OF quarantine Is in the hands OF man VINO
gives more of his time and attention to business IN.
levyng blackmai of every vessel that enters the
port and has to pass through quarantine to arrang
cheering bills through the Legislature at Albany to
render quarantine and everything pertaining to 1t
rich placer for himself and his friends, then 1t Is
better the institution were abolished and we can
then make sure that the plague, when 1t comes, will
not catch US mapping.
The steamer queen, from Liverpool, arrived In the
harbOr on Monday evening with over 1000 passen-
gers on board. The Quarantine doctor went aboard,
and to his intense delight discovered as he supposed
two cases Of smallpox Here was an hour or so OF
vaccination that should yield in the regular quaran
tine way over 81, 200 me ship, however, happened
to have on board two surgeons who believed them
selves competent to determine what was small
pox the Quarantine doctor. They asserted that
consequently. out Of orders but still the Health Officer
persisted that smallpox and nothing else than small
oS or and apa
should submit vaccination or live and die In quar-
antine. The surgeons OF the ship would not yield
their belief and as things began to assume threat
enng aspect the Quarantine official deemed prudence
the better part OF vaor and, as the first instance for
q long time, retired without his vaccination fees.
BY calculating the number OF passengers who arrive
here during one half the year, and multiplying that
number by one dollar, we may arrive at rough
estimate Of the profits derived from quarantine
vaccination, As rule Of the institution
Of Smallpox 6 is quite enoas
for the purpose, whether 1t be trivial or serious In
character 1t was well for Christopher Columbus
niola when he first came in sight Of that historic
island Poor Christopher 1t is to be presumed, had
but though he went on mission for the beneft OF
mankind, had our Swlnburne boarded his weather
submit to q dose Of VACCINATION, hand over all
his loose change and never cut the figure he does In
history OF planting with his muscular right arm the
Frenchman who said that the vaccine OF Quarantine
was worse than the smallpox itself has been very
performed, cOnfers on mankind . blessed immunity
from the ravages Of smallpox that cannot be too
highly priced; but when carried on In the rapid and
careless fashion that prevails at Quarantine, where
the fee is everything and the health OF
indeed. it becomes an EVIL of lnnoculation
that very soon manfests itself In very many cases.
Those lOathsome skin diseases that we are SO often
accustomed to see among the children OF the poor
may be traced IN great measure to the reckless use
Of impure vaccine by Indifferent doctors In public
dispensarIes. But what has vaccination to do with
ship fever or choeraY What has Quarantine to pro-
vide against either Of these epidemicsp In the lower
bay, where operations VIII very shortly commence,
there Is O man IN charge who was formerly boat
man, afterwards carpenter and now doctor.
He still holds on to the three vocati0ns and makes
each IN turn yield revenue He Is supposed to
board vessel and tell whether ship fever, yellow
fever or cholera turks amid the passengers.
This, OF course, his limited medical experience hardly
warrants him In assuming; but he can always fall
back on the primitive process or Immigration, and as
doctor OF that branch In hygienic science make
quite an imposing show. Doctor OF fumigati0n is
hts literal title symptoms OF fever or cholera he
cares little about. Fumigat0n Is his panacea for
everything
Whoever engaged In the purchase OF that pro-
perty ON Staten Island VIII day have to re-
veal themselves The HERALD has already asked for
the names OF the real purchasers, the record
deed OF sale. None has been forthcoming.
These twenty acres OF the most valuable
land the island are now being cut
up into blocks streets laid through them and 200
valuable lots are being carved out for the real estate
market The lowest price, It Is stated for which
any Of these lots will be sold Is l,5O0 The average
OF the higher ones will be over $4,000. Half mil
lion dollars at least VIII be realized from
the sale OF these lots. But why Is not
the original deed OF sale recorded on the
The assessor would very much like to know. He
postponed for six weeks making his returns last
fall, hoping he should see some record OF the sale
made that he might levy assessments on the pro-
perty as he leves them on all Others Perhaps II Is
the intention OF the owners, whoever they are, to
evade paying their taxes until they have laid out the
grounds every side and sold them all Ut once
Then there VIII be few assessments to pay and the