Intercepting infection : quarantine, the Port Sanitary Authority and immigration in late nineteenth and early twentieth century Britain
This thesis is an investigation into infectious disease prevention in British ports in the latter part of the nineteenth century and the introduction of medical restrictions to immigration at the beginning of the twentieth century. It examines the processes which led from the imposition of human quarantine toward the implementation of sanitary inspection at British ports. Central to this development was the influence of international pressures and demands and their incorporation into British domestic port policy. These pressures and demands resulted from the differing systems of prophylaxis and related medical theories favoured by other European imperial powers. They were discussed at the numerous International Sanitary Conferences of the nineteenth century and related particularly to shipping and commerce. British use of quarantine for the prevention of the 'exotic' diseases, cholera, yellow fever, and plague was brought to an end with the repeal of the Quarantine Act in 1896. However, exclusionary methods were not banished from the ports but remained in place for the prevention of diseases introduced by foreign migrants. The prevention of disease among immigrants, as a distinct process in port health, increased
Maglen, Krista
Infectious disease; Britain
Intercepting infection : quarantine, the Port Sanitary Authority and immigration in late nineteenth and early twentieth century Britain. This thesis is an investigation into infectious disease prevention in British ports in the latter part of the nineteenth century and the introduction of medical restrictions to immigration at the beginning of the twentieth century. It examines the processes which led from the imposition of human quarantine toward the implementation of sanitary inspection at British ports. Central to this development was the influence of international pressures and demands and their incorporation into British domestic port policy. These pressures and demands resulted from the differing systems of prophylaxis and related medical theories favoured by other European imperial powers. They were discussed at the numerous International Sanitary Conferences of the nineteenth century and related particularly to shipping and commerce. British use of quarantine for the prevention of the 'exotic' diseases, cholera, yellow fever, and plague was brought to an end with the repeal of the Quarantine Act in 1896. However, exclusionary methods were not banished from the ports but remained in place for the prevention of diseases introduced by foreign migrants. The prevention of disease among immigrants, as a distinct process in port health, increased
infection port sanitary authority immigration britain investigation infectious_disease prevention british port latter_part introduction medical restriction immigration begin examines process_lead imposition human toward implementation sanitary inspection british port central development influence international pressure demand incorporation british domestic port policy pressure demand result differ system related medical theory favour european imperial_power discuss numerous international sanitary relate particularly ship commerce british use prevention exotic disease cholera yellow plague bring_end repeal act however exclusionary method port remain place prevention disease introduce foreign migrant prevention disease among immigrant distinct process port health increase