New-York tribune., 1909-06-20
DIR. Alvah III. Doty Has Halted
More Ships IN a Week than
Ca aptain Kidd Did in All
His Lifetime.

The prince of despots and the paragon Of hold
1,p men sat in an armchair On a green slope Of
Staten Island overlooking the sparkling waters OF
the NarroWs. 1t a beautiful day and every
thing was coming his way-in fact, the commerce
OF the world. Ships Of all nations bound for New
York had TO pass taat narrow strait dominated by
the man in the armchair. And every ship was held
1Ip-coastNfse schooner and Pacific tramp, Euro
pean liner and United States cruiser Vessels that
ignored the froRning guns of two forts on right
and left and paid attention 10 the Stars and
Stripes slowed down when they came opposite
the post Of the armchair despot. and emitted
hoarsely apologize blasts which meant Please
may ] in2' II the monarch OF the NarroTs
had chosen TO say. No; back to the deep water
for yours" no power earth could have inter
vened. not even the Supreme Court at Washing
ton 10 alter the stern decree But II was beautl-
fui day. as aforesaid. and the despot was feeling
particularly good he allowed all the ships TO pro-
ceed after they had acknowledged his authoTly
and given account OF themselves.
DR.. AIsah II Doty. Health Officer of the Port OF
New York has flown the yellow flag for fourteen
wears and has stopped more ships by its use IN
any week Of that period than Captain Kidd halted
with the black fac lifetime In a Year seven
thousand vessels, carrying and one-half mill
ions passengers, beg leave 10 pass Quaran ntlne
and the harbor- II Is a good thing Tor ali
these people that Dr. Doty is such nice, kind
despot. lie might take away every stitch of their
Clothes and fumigate them merciessly and i'm
prison them on little islands for an indefinite
period He could coniscate the cargoes of all the
ships and disnfect the stateroons SO that the i'm
perial would smell better than the steer
age But the Health officer is not typical tyrant'
and there is no danger Of his being really cruel TO
ships or passengers, although the last limit 10 his
authority mas lately been removed b. the abolition
Of the quarantine commissioners.
Sitting az his desk between a glohe marked with
colored pins represent the daily distribution Of
the worlds cholera, yellow fever and plague. and
q few milk bottles filed with wiggling mosquito
larvse while the faint squeal Of guinea pig in
the back ward was lost the hoarsely implering
below Of an ocean liner. Or. Doty told a Tribune
reporter what il meant he the champion hold-up
man OF the United States AS he outlined the
history of mis- calling and told Of kis methods, the
hzarer impressed with his geniality and his
oosrnic grasp Of diseases. To him the world was
divided into three great germ belts. and the in
coming fleets of commerce were potentially laden
with the three sorts of germs-plague cholera and
yellow jack. If she ships brought undesirable citi-
zens, that work for the immigration bureau;
II smuggling afoot, the customs men would
see TO IL But germs the sole care and con-
cern OF DR.. Doty. The holding up of ships and
men is only incidental TO the Health Officers nvin
clbe purpose to get The drop on malignant bacteria
FIRST QUARANTINE IN 1850.
Quarantine" said DR.. Doty. had its beginning
IN Venice IN 1850, when ships from India where the
black death bubonic plague raging,
held off the port and prevented from having inter
course with land for a stated period The system
spread through the Mediterranean. The term quar-
antine is now misleading. because it means just
forty days detention and II has been suggested
mat should substitute marine sanitation
something similarly appropriate Under any name
quarantine has always had bad reputation, be
cause il deprives people Of liberty and entails
pense TO vessels often without apparent cause.
Ignorance Of science among the people is one
for this bad repute and another is the carrying
out Of methods without regard for public con-
venience. The cid way OF quarantine 10 hold
tie ship until all the cargo and luggage were dis
infected II was annoying. costly and unnecessary.
In the eighteenth century vessels were even sunk
at sea because they came from infected ports The
Sther day we read that villages in Russia were
burned 10 check cholera.
Within the last two decades there has been
revolution In quarantine methods. The classic
Ionites' theory that textile fabrics transmit dis
: ease rs overthrow We have absolute evidence
that the old and stir populerly held theories of
Transmission wrong 1t is established that the
cargo OF a vessel does not convey disease THIS is
broad principle accepted for practical purposes,