The Black Death's first blow started in 1348 in Ragusa, we now call Dubrovnik, spreading to all of Europe.
On this day in 1377, the lawmakers there instituted the first quarantine in the world.Anyone arriving from a plague-stricken place would be stopped at the gate and made to sit 30 days (later extended to 40) in isolation, either on the nearby uninhabited island of Mrkan or in the town of Cavtat, before stepping inside. Ships likewise were made to anchor off the coast to be sure the crew and their goods were not infected. Residents were barred from visiting them.
The order was copied into the city’s lawbook, the Liber Viridis, or “Green Book,” which still survives in Dubrovnik’s archives. The word still survives too: quarantine from quaranta, Italian for 40.
I try to find different things to post in our late night open thread.
Open thread.
