IB 



scourge. The infection extended over the water. Matteo Villani, of 

 Florence, writing in 1581 of the epidemic of 1346, which spread from 

 Asia into Turkey, Egypt, Russia, Greece, and Italy, says that in those 

 evil days numbers of Italian galleys flying from the pest left the 

 stricken ports for healthier harbors. Their crews perished miserably 

 at sea. Some reached Sicily, Pisa, and Genoa, and the disease went 

 with them. 



EARLY MARITIME SANITARY LAWS. ' 



There is but little known of ancient laws relating to maritime com- 

 merce, and even this little was lost to the world until 1147. The story 

 is an interesting one. Justinian, during his reign, confided to ten juris- 

 consults the task of collecting and adjusting the numerous Roman laws, 

 together with the various sentences and rulings of judges and magis- 

 trates. A compendium of these documents and of the laws promul- 

 gated during the rule of Justinian was published. It is known by the 

 name of the Codex of Justinian. The only part of this code that 

 treats of ships is called the Digestum, and it was lost for hundreds of 

 years. Finally, in 1147, the papers were discovered at Amain and 

 made public. The Digestum treats of the reciprocal rights of the 

 owners and renters of ships, but no mention is made of sanitary mat- 

 ters. During the long period when this important legal instrument 

 was lost, the Venetians, Genoese, and other .Latin maritime nations 

 supplied the deficiency in part from the initial sources of Roman law 

 and in part by custom and agreement. Of this sort are two collec- 

 tions, one known by the name of Reoognoverunt Proceres and the other 

 called the Consolato del Mare. Besides these, there is a great number 

 of documents, such as constitutions, decrees, ordinances, sentences, and 

 the like, which pertain to maritime rights. It is a remarkable fact 

 that, notwithstanding the detailed attention given to most maxims 

 relating to shipping, the Recognoverunt and the Consolato del Mare 

 are silent too on the subject of sanitation. Therefore, in the Middle 

 Ages, in event of contagious prevalences, it rested with each individual 

 city or country to make such provisions as were deemed opportune. 

 Such an edict is the one, said to be the most ancient of its kind, already 

 mentioned as having originated at Reggio d'Emelia, in 1374, and com- 

 manding notification and segregation of cases of plague. 



The Venetians were, it is generally admitted, the first to make pro- 

 vision for maritime sanitation. As far back as the year 1000 there 

 were overseers of public health, but at first the office was not a per- 

 manent one. The incumbents were appointed to serve during the 

 prevalence of an epidemic only. The first information we have of this 

 kind of public office is under date of 1348, when Nicolaus Venerio, 

 Marinus Querino, and Paulus Belegno (their Christian names given in 

 the Latin of the text) were appointed overseers of public health. 



