Quarantine, What is Old is New

by Ian Arthur Cameron

Quarantine, What is Old is Halifax and the Lawlor s Island Quarantine Station, 1866 -1938
Includes 40 historic photos, many tables and maps, historical/medical appendices, plus it is extensively indexed according to ships, global seaports, medical personel, immigration, historical characters of the late 19th & early 20th Century, as well as diseases of that period - and newer ones of today.
Medical doctor/historian Cameron, reveals the ghosts of our medical past, as well as a detailed history of the times and maritime/marine shipping from the age of sail into that of steel and steam. It is a tale of tragic events, unimaginable hardships, public health successes/failures, government footdragging, remarkable bravery and unforgivable incompetence.
As new diseases such as H1N1 (bird flu), Ebola, and SARS threaten, along with an anticipated and much feared influenza pandemic, we must learn lessons from the past. This book is an important contribution to medicine, public health and maritime history, as well as an intriguing history of Halifax though a long list of regional and world wars, including the involvement of many of its more prominent citizens.
A great book for historians (amateur or professional), especially 19th Century maritime events/ships, all medical doctors , plus those interested in the sea, global seaports, immigration history and the history of dread disease, including critical lessons for our future.
This book has important parallels for immigration to the USA, and quarantine stations on the eastern seaboard, as well as for cooperation among countries to control epidemic disease.

Genres: Canada

208 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

Reviews

[Chris]

Fascinating history not only of quarantines, but also of pandemics.

I interviewed the author: https://atlanticbookstoday.ca/video-i...

[Jocelyn Covert · Rating 3 out of 5]

A slim but interesting book. Really strange to read, in Halifax, while the world is quarantined due to the coronavirus! Cool to read about so many names that I recognize from Nova Scotian history and street and building names.

I dearly wish the author (or editor!) knew the difference between 'insure' and 'ensure', and a better edit for grammatical errors and typos world not have been a bad idea.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The Plague arrived in Europe in 1348. It is estimated to have killed over sixty million people in the known world, sweeping everything before it in panic and confusion. In an attempt to restore order and protect its subjects, the Venetian Republic appointed three guardians of public health to exclude infected and suspected ships. These ships and their passengers were held in isolated areas for forty days to insure they were not infected. The Italian word for forty is 'quaranta' and so the word quarantine came to mean medical isolation for infectious disease."

This book is part of the Stay Home and Read Atlantic series from the Halifax Public Libraries. It is a well-researched overview of Lawlor's Island, Nova Scotia, when it was a quarantine station. Along with the timeline for the island, the book discusses major diseases, minor diseases, vaccination, the medical personnel of the times, The Halifax Explosion, WWI and the Spanish Flu pandemic, up until the current Covid-19 pandemic. It was a very interesting historical look at Halifax and the part it played in keeping the province, the country, and the rest of the world safe -- at least those countries with maritime ports. Also very timely, wouldn't you say?

[Lynn Davidson · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author, who is a clinician/historian, delves expertly into the world's history of communicable diseases. Especially focusing on the province of Nova Scotia and the port city of Halifax, he tells the story of Lawlor's Island which is located off the coast of Nova Scotia. For many years that island was very important as a quarantine facility for the city and also all of Canada, especially as the port was usually the landing point for immigrants.
Recorded in this book is information of many diseases brought by boat by passengers from other continents and how they were cared for in quarantine. The author also did a great job of enlightening the reader about the origins of certain contagious diseases such as the Plague and small pox, and the new viruses that evolve and appear, how they are spread and how they can be contained.
Much very interesting information, even updated to include COVID-19 of 2019-2020 at the time of this writing.

[Antonia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting historical account of Lawlor Island, and a general history of communicable diseases (the Plague still exists) and how they were handled by the city of Halifax from mid 19th century to the 1930s. At the time, most foreign travel and commerce entered through port of Halifax, the city was a Front Line for community spread. Emphasizes how effective the Quarantine is in reducing spread, especially when no treatment for communicable diseases exist. The advent of sanitation, pesticides, vaccines and antibiotics have eradicated most communicable diseases since. A vigilant central health board to create uniform guidelines of practice , and a provincial medical board to oversee physician practices emerged from past epidemics and “almost epidemics”.

[Tiffany Curl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall I really enjoyed the content as the author takes you on a journey of quarantine history in Nova Scotia. Docked stars because there is a lot of repetition throughout the book and many grammatical errors that should have been picked up during editing.

Also the COVID-19 addition seemed like it was just a combo or ChatGPT and copying and pasting directly from news articles, though I appreciate this edition was updated up to mar 12, 2020 so these pieces were written close to real-time but it still irked me.

[Crystal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting read, especially during this time in 2020

[Eileen]

Thorough history with an inclusion of COVID 19.

[Jean Chard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Intersting, I enjouyed reading it, but had the impression it had been rushed into publication and needed some editing and proofreading.

[c · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helping me immensely with my paper on Lawlor Island! Thank you Dr. Cameron.