OF INFECTION.

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he was appointed to wash himself in water, and tokeep for some time at a distance from society.

Infectious diseases are often communicated by clothes.It is extremely dangerous to wear apparel which hasbeen worn by the diseased, unless it has been well wash-ed and fumigated, as infection may lodge a long time init, and afterwards produce very tragical effects. Thisshows the danger of buying at random the clotheswhich have been worn by other people.

Infectious disorders are frequently imported. Cominerce, together with the riches of foreign climes, bringus also their diseases. These do often more than coun-terbalance all the advantages of that trade by means ofwhich they are introduced. It is to be regretted, thatso little care is commonly bestowed, either to preventthe introduction or spreading of infectious maladies.Some attention indeed is generally paid to the plague;but other diseases pass unregarded.*

Infection is often spread through cities, by jails, hos-pitals, &c. These are frequently situated in the verymiddle of populous towns; and when infectious diseasesbreak out in them, it is impossible for the inhabitantsto escape. Did magistrates pay any regard to the healthof the people, this evil might be easily remedied.

Many are the causes which tend to diffuse infectionthrough populous cities. The whole atmosphere of alarge town is one contaminated mass, abounding withvarious kinds of infection, and must be pernicious to

* Were-the tenth part of the care taken to prevent the importa-tion of diseases, that there is to prevent smuggling, it would be at-tended with many happy consequences. This might easily be done,by appointing a physician at every considerable sea-port, to inspectthe ship's company, passengers, &c. before they came ashore: and,if any fever or other infectious disorder prevailed, to order the shipto perform a short quarantine, and to send the sick to some hospi-tal or proper place to be cured. He might likewise order all theclothes, bedding, &c, which had been used by the sick during thevoyage, either to be destroyed, or thoroughly cleansed by fumiga-tion, &c, before any of it were sent ashore. A scheme of this kind,if properly conducted, would prevent many fevers, and other in-fectious diseases^ from being brought by sailors into sea-port towns,and by this means diffused all over the country.

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