696 MICROBIOLOGY OF THE DISEASES OF MAN AND ANIMALS. 



The supervision of the attendants and immediate associates of such 

 frank cases. 



To detect amongst them that one from whom the frank case already 

 recognized received his infection. 



To detect at the earliest moment any other frank case about to 

 develop from amongst those associates who may have been infected 

 at the same time and from the same source as the frank case already 

 found. 



To prevent further spread from any already infected associates or 

 those who may become infected by later association with the frank case 

 during its existence as such. 



The exclusion of the frank cases, their attendants and immediate 

 associates, from participation in public life so long as danger continues 

 and especially to exclude them from having to do with public utilities 

 or public gatherings. Hence has arisen the crude drastic but efficient 

 (when consistent and uniformly carried out in every case) system of 

 quarantine of the sick. 



Unfortunately quarantine has become a mere letter-of-the-law pro- 

 cedure, working great hardships on those who conscientiously obey and 

 yet failing to achieve its objects because of the great number of those who 

 evade or escape it; moreover, because its provisions are unintelligently 

 enforced. Of what avail is rigid quarantine of an infected family where 

 milk continues to be sold from the same premises ? Why quarantine the 

 honest man who has an honest physician and whose case is reported, 

 while his neighbor, having the same disease in his family, calls no 

 physician, or a dishonest one, and therefore escapes official cognizance ? 

 The only remedy seems to be the recognition of the principle that 

 harboring or having in possession a case of infectious disease, unknown 

 to the proper officials, is a crime against society, and that the excuse that 

 the person harboring such case did not know it to be such should be of 

 no more weight than the plea of ignorance of the law which is^ not al- 

 lowed in other and often far less serious matters. 



The official isolation of infectious cases involves also official responsi- 

 bilities regarding the release from quarantine after the acute attack is 

 over. Officially to declare a person dangerous to the community does 

 no harm to the community if a mistake is made. An official declaration 

 that a person is no longer dangerous and is therefore free to enter into 

 the community life again may, if mistaken, result in a widespread 



