Quarantine

" A term derived from the French word : Quarantaine" (m. Lat.quarantena), meaning "forty days" Passengers on vessels arriving at Venice from the Levant were formerly required to remain 40 days in the House of St. Lazarus, or the Lazaretto. This regulation was afterwards adopted by other ports in southern Europe, and with various changes in the period of detention, extended to travelers from all ports whence contagion might be carried. In the United States quarantine enactments were passed by the colonial legislatures and subsequently for many years by the States.

The first national quarantine act was passed Feb. 23, 1799, and required Federal officers to aid in the execution of State or municipal quarantine regulations. In 1878, however, a national quarantine law was passed authorizing the establishment, in certain contingencies, of national quarantines. In March, 1883, $100,000 was appropriated by the Federal Government for maintaining quarantine stations along the coasts, and the authority for declaring quarantine was conferred upon the President. Most of the quarantine stations are under State supervision. The mode of procedure is as follows:

On the arrival of a vessel she is visited by the health officer, who examines her bill of health, musters the passengers and crew, and inspects the vessel in every part. If free from contagious disease, and if she does not hail from an infected port, she is allowed to proceed without further detention. If she hails from an infected port, she is detained until the expiration of the period of incubation of the disease prevalent at the port whence she sailed. If disease is found on board, or if the vessel is in an unsanitary condition, the diseased persons are removed to a quarantine hospital and the vessel allowed to proceed after a thorough purification.* (Pres.)

Originally, the period of forty days during which a ship arriving in port and suspected of being infected with a contagious or malignant disease was forbidden to land freight or passengers. From the second half of the 14th century, the Italian republics established quarantine regulations, directed toward the East against the invasion of pestilence. In 1403 Venice instituted the first maritime quarantine, followed by Genoa in 1467. During the latter part of the eighteenth century Austria stretched a permanent cordon of troops across her eastern frontier, but even this failed to shut out the plague, which ravaged her provinces. The example of the Italian cities was early adopted by Marseilles and an efficient system of sanitary supervision was developed, finally passing under the control of the sanitary magistrates.

 Other European seaport cities enforced rules and regulations of varying effectiveness. In 1850 delegates from the principal States bordering the Mediterranean convened in Paris, and adopted a convention and code of international sanitary regulations, which was subsequently generally adopted by all powers and is enforced in their commercial relations with one another. These uniform regulations have relieved commerce from the restrictions which were imposed by the former conditions. Under its provisions a ship clearing is given a ' clean bill' or a 'foul bill' according as the port from which she sails is free or infected with a contagious disease, the plague, cholera, and yellow fever being specially guarded against. Ships entering port are at once put under quarantine, varying in length with the character of the contagion feared.

 For the plague, from 10 to 15 days is generally required; for yellow fever, 5 to 7 days; and for cholera, 5 days, including the term of the voyage. These periods may be modified somewhat according to the length of the voyage and the health prevailing during this time. Further regulations are laid down regarding the disinfecting and handling of merchandise in cargo. Special restrictions have also been adopted against the Oriental countries, Egypt, and Turkey, and for this purpose sanitary boards are maintained in Alexandria, Constantinople, and other frequented ports, with physicians located in different parts of the countries liable to epidemic diseases, whose duty it is to investigate and report to the local authorities and consular offices the condition of the general health.

Besides the Federal quarantine regulations providing for the protection of the United States in its intercourse with foreign nations, the various State jurisdictions have general statutes authorizing the organization of State boards of health and similar local boards in cities, villages, and towns, prescribing how they shall be constituted and defining their powers and duties. This power is usually conferred upon municipal corporations by the charter granted by the legislature or by general statute, but in the absence of such express authority, it cannot be implied as incident to the ordinary powers of the corporation.

Conflict between the United States and State authorities is provided for by the terms of the Federal statutes (U.S. Rev. Stats., 4792; Rev. Stats., U.S. Sup., 1874-91, p. 157, c. 66, 5) requiring customs, revenue, and other Federal officers to observe State health and quarantine laws. Reasonable charges for quarantine services may be imposed upon a vessel under State authority, and there can be no recovery from the State or municipality for losses resulting from the quarantining or disinfecting of premises infected with contagious disease, where the method employed was proper and the use made of the premises was a necessary one, for the courts are generally liberal in construing empowering statutes.

Hamburg (Sanitary Measures Against Epidemics)

The geographical situation of Hamburg makes it the commercial emporium of Northern Europe. The dock and harbor facilities are the most complete in the world: vessels drawing 23 feet can go up the harbor at high tide. Hamburg is one of the principal emigration ports of Germany, 405,998 persons having left during 1891-95, of whom 356,365 were bound for the United States.

Situated on a low plain, far from any mountains, the city derives its drinking-water from the Elbe. Formerly this was so polluted that Hamburg suffered from cholera epidemics more than any other city in Northern Europe; but since 1893, when a newly devised and enormous filtering plant was put into operation, there has been no recurrence of the epidemic. A well-constructed sewerage system drains the city perfectly, discharging the refuse into one sewer tunnel which empties into the river with the outgoing tide, and is automatically dammed by the incoming tide. Garbage is burned in municipal crematories erected in 1893.

The streets are well paved with asphalt or smooth square stones, and are kept very clean, the principal ones being washed and swept every day, and the less frequented ones cleaned a few times a week. The struggle against cholera epidemics led the city authorities to revise also the building regulations. This was necessitated by the fact that the poorer classes of the population are housed in the mediaeval portion of the town, in crowded houses facing narrow streets and small, poorly ventilated courts; a considerable part of them 6 1/2 per cent. in 1890) lived in cellars.

The new rules require more sanitary arrangements, and in case of cellars, more light and better safeguards against dampness. Hamburg has a large number of hospitals, the most noteworthy being the Epidemic Hospital, opened in 1894, and considered one of the best in the world. Connected with the hospitals are stations equipped with large ovens for disinfection by heat of all kinds of household goods. Food inspection is in charge of the Hygienic Institute, where a thoroughly equipped bacteriological laboratory is maintained.

A special sanitary service is maintained in the harbor, to see that all the sanitary regulations are complied with on incoming ships. The effect of all these measures is seen in the diminished death-rate, which declined from 30 per 1000 in 1865 to less than 20 in 1895 and about 17 in 1900.