New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1877-05-12
QUARANTINE REFORM,

For many years a serious impeachment
to the commerce of New Orleans, during
half the year, has been the quarantine de-
tention of vessels. Our quarantine laws
were enacted in the dark ages, and have
remained through successive administra-
tions without material change until 1876.
They provided that
The Governor of the State shall issue
his proclamation, on the advice of the
Board of Health, declaring any place
where there shall be reason to believe a
pestilential, contagious or infectious dis
ease to exist to be an infected place, and
stating the number of days of quarantine
to be performed.
This proclamation made imperative the
detention of all vessels from the ''plaees"
thus designated and for the time thus
designated Since 1865 the time des-
ignated for the detention of vessels has
varied from ten days to twenty days, until
1875, when it was reduced to ten days
from the infected port, including the day
of departure.
In 1875 DR.. Southworth, then resident
physician, in an official letter dated Sep
TENDER 10, and in his annual reports for
that year, says:
Our quarantine laws were enacted more
than twenty years ago. Announcements In
sanitary knowledge now justify, and COM
mercial interests require their very essen
tial modification. An imperative time
quarantine, applied equally to all vessels,
is now unnecessary and inexpedient.
/ respectfully recommend
that the quarantine laws be SO amended
as to permit, under ordinary circum-
stances, the passage of quarantine by
those vessels from infected ports that
have unobjectionable cargoes, and no sick
ness on board, after detention of few
hours for thorough aeration, fumigation
and disinfection.
In January, 1876, Governor Kellogg, in
message to the Legislature, Endorsed
these recommendations, and law was
Immediately passed for their practical
adoption. Last season there was no quar-
antine proclamation by the Governor, and
no fixed time for the detention of vessels;
and properly no quarantine detention"
at all. For such detention was substi-
tuted their thorough sanitary treatment;
and they were usually detained only for
the few hours of daylight necessary for
that purpose.
When DIR. Southworth was appointed
resident physician, he wisely continued,
under the advice of DR.. White, President
of the Board of Health, the admirable
system Of disinfection which was intro
duced and successfully practiced by DR..
Perry.
From Dr. southworth's report of Janu.
airy LIST, we quote:
Our commerce has been but little, if il
has, on the whole, been at all injured
by this detention. While the delay Of
vessels for even few hours is an evil, il
is in this case, in the opinion of very
many Intelligent ship captains and own.
ers, more than countefbalanced by the
resulting advantages, and conhdently
predict that in few years the sanitary
treatment Of vessels, as pFacticed here
last season, viii be generally desired, be.
cause Of the publication, cleanliness and
immunity from disease resulting there.
from. OF the vessels subjected to treat.
ment many had laid for weeks in infect
ed ports and many bad yellow fever on
board while IN port or on the passage
here, OF both in port and here, and were
undoubtedly infected. Under these cir
cumstancesit affoEdsme great pleasure "a
state that no infection or oontagion OF in
fictitious or contagious disease has, during
the last two seasons, passed this quaEan'
sine station toward New Orleana
This statement acoofds with the re-
oords of tie Board Of Health. Nov Of.
leans i the only Southern port where III