Quarantine

kwor'an-ten, a term originally of forty days, but now of varying length, during which a ship arriving from a port known to be infected with cholera, yellow fever, or other contagious disease is obliged to lie to and refrain from intercourse with the port at which it arrives. The laws differ in various countries. In Great Britain the entire matter is now left to the discretion of local boards of health. In the ports of the United States quarantines are maintained under national authority. Emigrant ships in particular are required to await inspection before landing passengers. The length of time during which ships are held in quarantine varies so greatly according to circumstances that no synopsis of regulations can be given. In San Francisco, for instance, the quarantine officers fumigate every article capable of harboring insects. Funeral wreaths are burned lest they introduce insects harmful to fruit trees. Local boards of health also quarantine households in which contagious diseases appear. The length of time varies locally also with the nature of the disease.