Skip Navigation

Burning Contagion: Organized Arson in Response to Quarantine Facilities and Pest Houses, 1858-1901

Air date: Thursday, May 30, 2024, 2:00:00 PM
Time displayed is Eastern Time, Washington DC Local
iCalendar: Add event to iCalendar Add an upcoming event to your calendar.
Description: Throughout the 19th century, communities in the United States committed arson against healthcare facilities that housed the diseased. Local and national newspapers often described the resulting damage as the actions of a “lawless mob.” A closer reading of these incidents reveals local communities put at risk by facilities that actively caused them harm while benefitting other parties. This talk suggests that these events were organized acts of self-defense borne of medical knowledge, rather than rash mobs acting through fear or ignorance, and will highlight two such incidents, one in Staten Island, New York and another in Orange, New Jersey. The National Library of Medicine houses a pamphlet from the Staten Island episode meant to ascertain the continued efficacy of a Quarantine Hospital among an ever growing population. In the conclusion, the committee described the institution as “the unholy alliance of a pauper establishment with a Health Department.” A case study of the events surrounding each unveils the overarching social and cultural trends that culminated in common acts of arson.
Author: Lorna Ebner, PhD Candidate, History Department, The State University of New York, Stony Brook
Runtime: 1 hour, 30 minutes