QUAEANTINE AND SMALLPOX. 229' 



been invited to join in the scheme of federal quarantine outports 

 from which so much is hoped, and which is in reality capable of 

 conferring great benefits. That admission I am satisfied was wise; 

 and I may give the reason in yet a third proposition, the truth of 

 which is almost self evident :- " The degree of protection which 

 quarantine affords is inversely as the ease of communication 

 between the infected country and the country to be defended." 



But what, then, is to be said of the attempt which has been made 

 upon the first appearance of danger to enforce that ruinous delusion 

 ancient quarantine, against an island which physically is a 

 dependency of one of the Colonies making it ? Its sole justification 

 would appear to be the possibility of effectually preventing all 

 communication by means of it. But is this possible, even 

 theoretically 1 A fatal flaw appears at first sight. At all events 

 quarantine cannot be enforced until the supposed necessity for it 

 is known to exist, and that is not until a case of the disease feared 

 has been discovered. How often is the first case discovered the 

 first case that occurred ? Very seldom indeed, as we know well, 

 and as lias now happened again in Tasmania ; and so the infection 

 might have already been exported before the stoppage of 

 communication could be attempted. But Tasmania is a small island; 

 if ever communication can be entirely stopped it should be easy 

 in her case ; and yet what is the fact ? Why, that quarantine 

 has been twice broken within the past few days — I speak only of 

 known instances — and two persons at least have succeeded in 

 landing from two separate vessels, even at Melbourne itself. It 

 does not matter at all by what accident they came to land ; they 

 succeeded, and without special effort or scheme, in evading the 

 defence of quarantine, and were arrested on shore. Now, observe ; 

 the question is not one concerning contraband of trade. A cargo 

 may be occasionally run in spite of the most active coast-guard 

 service, no doubt. But the loss to revenue is measurable ; it 

 cannot exceed the capacity of the vessel ; and once in a way, I 

 suppose, smugglers may be welcome to what they have cunningly 

 snatcl led. But quarantine tries to deal with a body which possesses 

 powers of self-multiplication ; so that the smallest boat that holds a 

 man may as seriously threaten the importing country as the Orizaba 

 or the Or muz. But, it may be said, if quarantine cannot entirely 

 prevent communication, at all events half a loaf is better than no 

 bread ; and so it is — when you can get it. The implied statement 

 would seem to be that the chance of importing disease increases 

 proportionately with the number of persons escaping quarantine. 

 This, obviously, is not true, unless all the inhabitants of the 

 infected country are not only equally susceptible of disease but also 

 have all been equally exposed to infection ; and this is never 

 the case. But, farther, the element of human nature must not 



