4 - “A Sort of Hospital-Prison”

Summary

In this chapter, the perspective shifts to the travelers, traders, sailors, soldiers, merchants, and missionaries whom quarantine detained. It begins with an analysis of the demographics of Mediterranean quarantine. It then considers incidents of suspicious deaths in the lazaretto, ghostly experiences that frightened travelers, and the routines developed by those in quarantine to ward off boredom. The chapter also investigates sanitary crimes, including attempted escapes, smuggling, and entrance into prohibited spaces. By combining administrative records, travel accounts, private letters, and diaries, and through the use of evidence from numerous quarantine stations, the chapter presents an original comprehensive analysis of the experience of quarantine in the modern era.