[History of the concept of quarantine]

Quarantine is a concept developed by society to protect against the outbreak of contagious diseases. From its original application in the favorable context of Medieval Europe, the quarantine concept has been driven by three main currents. The first involves the personification of epidemics. Although this personification had superstitious implications and led to many excesses, it did have the merit of establishing a concrete connection between travel and outbreak of disease. The second fundamental aspect of quarantining is the existence of a social organization capable of providing the necessary infrastructure for isolation. Specialized facilities are needed and laws must be made and enforced by competent officials. The last fundamental aspect of the development of the quarantine concept is the role of science. After a long process involving better medical knowledge and international negotiations, epidemic controls has largely outgrown the early stage involving essentially local control measures. In accordance with the development of these three currents, infected individuals have been branded as curse bearers, possible criminals, and innocent victims of natural contamination. While forced quarantine is no longer practiced, several recent examples of heated debates illustrate that strong emotional feelings are still present in societies threatened by epidemic disease outbreak. Since the major responsibility for disease control now rests in their hands, physicians must take these factors into account for management of possible future epidemic crises.