June, ’23 
mccubbin: domestic quarantines 
259 
the enforcement should observe the fourth rule of warfare which 
states,—-“If a detachment is sent for a particular purpose enough should 
be sent to accomplish the mission.” Lack of funds is and always has 
been our excuse for indifferent enforcement but it is worth consideration 
whether a less ambitious program for which adequate facilities are 
available would not in the end be a better policy than planning a man’s 
work and sending a boy to do it. 
Concerning quarantine regulations and their application it need only 
be said that, the simpler rules can be made the more easily they will be 
understood; and that if they are expressed as a prohibition of some 
definite act, the doing which may be easily established by witnesses, or 
by some “corpus delicti” of material evidence, they are more easily 
made the basis of prosecution. It goes without saying that such rules 
should be broad enough in scope to cover all kinds of cases, and should 
not discriminate between any individuals or groups. Finally if these 
regulations are not administered with fairness and impartiality the 
public is sure to get into such a frame of mind that the sooner the in¬ 
spection staff is equipped with chain armor the better. 
Nearly all successful quarantine work in the past has been successful 
largely because of the character of the official in direct charge of the 
details, and his staff. Program and organization may be good and funds 
sufficient, yet the results may be disappointing on account of the 
quality of enforcement. To be successful in directing a quarantine is a 
high tribute to ability, since this work calls for a man of no ordinary 
caliber. He must be well trained, energetic and faithful; he must possess 
good judgment and be resourceful in emergencies; be methodical, 
punctual and accurate; above all he must have a stout and rigid back¬ 
bone and a tough skin tightly stuffed with sand; how can one expect 
such a man to be also tactful, gentle and courteous? Yet these sym¬ 
pathetic qualities are as necessary as the sterner ingredients if this work 
is to run smoothly. In short it takes a big man to enforce even a little 
quarantine. As this man is so should his assistants be, and if he is of the 
type mentioned, we can safely say, so will his assistants be. 
The Quarantine and the Public 
The reaction of the public to quarantines is a matter of much concern 
to us. Plant quarantines may be considered as belonging among the 
highest expressions of civilized life in that they involve a definite re¬ 
striction or interference with individual liberty for the common good, 
not on moral grounds, not because of humanitarian considerations, but 
