The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1893-10-11
DIR. HART ON QUARANTINE
HE sAFs 1T IS AN7IQUA1BD. CRUEL,
AND INEFFEC7UAL.

| rohSbuTlnR tnan inc way Dr. Ernest mart, eul-
tor OF the British Medical Journal handled the
subject OF cholera In a talk which he gave to
the Section OF Public Health at the Academy
OF Medicine last night on Quarantine: its
Merits Mischieis. and Mistakes" He handled
1t as a snake charmer plays with snakes while
an awe-struck crowd In gazing at the per-
| formance and at the same time keeping at q
| discreet distance.
At the same time he scored quarantine;
| called 1t cruel and antiquated and Intellectual.
He electrified the unprofcssional listeners by
saying II lie wanted TO get out OF the way Of
cholera he would 60 to a cholera hospital. and
that II he were going to build cholera hospi-
tai in New YORK he would put It up on Fifth
| avenue.
DR.. Hart is. 10 Judge from his appearance.
about Us years old. of medium stature. with q
| CHEEKY countenance and with rather promi-
nent forehead which. with his wispy hair. made
him look not unlike some pictures OF Glad
stone.
DR.. Hart said after few personal remarks.
that In England they were relying loss and
less upon quarantine. and he fancied
that the great American public and tho
powerful American journalists were per-
| haps. to some extent, being mised
| by the activity OF the health authorities
| In Imposing guarantees. and were attaching
and which he believed no medical community
gives to It. 1t was moro or less a cowardly
proceeding. and that It is always and every
whore Intellectual. Experience In Europe had
| been such as to lead the authorities in Eng
land to discard IL since 1868.
And that's thirty.ssven years ago. I be-
lleve." said DR.. Hart but I'm not much OF an
arithmetician."
The English health authorities had great
difficulty in bringing the other European
nations to their conclusion. but In every sue
cessive international sanitary conference each
nation had more and more come to the
English views and n band quarantine. At
each conference the relaxation OF the old doc
trine OF quarantine had been carried on till
the whole thing had been whitfield away.
As illustrating how Intellectual quarantine 10.
Dr. Hart cited two cable dispatches which he
read In the papers on Monday. One from
Madrid announced that the Government OF
Spain had raised the quarantine declared on
vessels from Jersey City. Santos. and Rio
The record stated that in the last three days
there had been l04 eases Of cholera In the
allel dispatches seemed to afford the Doctor
much satisfaction.
II can point to no endemic Of cholera in the
He cited the last eh Md epidemic IN Eng Ea
OF 1000 more and said the disease had been
communicated to the people by family which
He also cited another similar case. He said:
%hoh could ef not W" Be- traced to peope
who got through the quarantine. The people
II had I'd ths nations Of
He believed that an efrectual quarantine
Quarantine was ful Of crmelties and CONNER
cial dangers and it enlisted against 1t the
Ths that yon msde cholera
5 n had Is. systs% 70
IA T6d and sk Sst
on; Would s aSs Ss%GnHf s'3 ha sNt
ehosrs Wss for the
ship Capsains t9 own up and .t tell about the
Who e were weI would a not Be- n hed
There was nothing as easy to keep out and
deal with as cholera; The fear Of cholera had
destroyed and could destroy in fifty years.
compelled local authorities, to take such meas
ures as would prevent the disease. since 1856.
there had been spent in the cities in England
f22.OOO, 900 In supplying pure water. and fl2.-
0OOO had been EXPENDED .rni 4 on sewage works
He went on 70 kill the idea that cholera was
q contagious disease and expressed his idens
pened to be the author. that
You can eat c Oh and you can drink it.
Then be told what harmless thing cholera
is: and said that It Is not unsafe TO associate
with it. If he had to choose safe place in
go TO a well-conductei cholera ospitnl. where
no one ever caught the disease, lie cited the
and said that the only place where the cholera
did not spread was IN the twelve hospitals
chcs4a he sHa hn he wS ps
place an Fiith'avenue because 1t would cause
Everything would be made perfectly clean.
they didn't run into the water, The Croton
ii word It would save thousands Of lives.
said we ought to put the sick man up where
tho people could see him and mako an object
Lesson stil. tat att vas not the fashion ns her%
spopkinG o, tho learfuIness Of cholera he
have 70 fear. He raid his respects to
p PRESENT state '' of medical knoWledss.
it is not desirable to have It understood that
ardice People should cultivate wholesome
contempt for the external way of dealing with
The authorities in charge OF the water sup
ply should tuke care OF H.. lie knew OF no
great city in America which thinks 1t neceS-
sary to do what the great cities In Europe do
In the matter OF providing reservoirs and III
toring establishments between the water sup
ply and its point OF delivery.
Then Dr. Hart got at the American system OF
quarantine again by saying we still had the
antqnated method OF sequestratinG both tho
we'll and the sick.
As long as 1t is popularity. believed that
quarantine IL II preventive. and as long as Il
"a ses any relaxation In the care given to tho
water supply and to sewage; It Is an evil.
He said that the sources OF cholera. the East
ern centres from which tho disease starts
were well known. and he spoke Of the posi-
hility Of the scourge being lessened by giving
Ing M
He added that possibly he might visit some
OF those PLACES in the future in the perform
anCe OF his duties.
Dr. Hart talk was received with much In
terost by the professional men present
-
Cholera.
LONDON. Oct 10.-A despatch from Rome says