The rigorous sanitary protocol against plague in the 18th century

The health regulations were very precise and always took place in the same way. Upon their arrival, the vessels necessarily wet at the Frioul archipelago, 6 km off Marseille, more precisely at the island of Pomègues whose port could house up to thirty-five buildings. The captain of the ship then went to a canoe to the health office located on the port to present to the stewards the patent of the boat.

He was sworn in on the gospel in front of the steward, separated from him through a wire window, and he threw the patent in a vinegar basin to avoid contamination. The patent was removed with tweezers and read, just before the intendant begins the captain’s interrogation. He then returned to his building in his building, accompanied by a guard responsible for providing provisions and monitoring him.

Meanwhile, the purge of cargoes and passengers was then made to the new infirmaries. The procedure was very precise: the cargoes were ventilated in a dozen halls opened on each side by arcades and arranged on large stone benches, raised and aligned. The swirling winds had, according to the aircraft principles in force, to chase the miasmas of the ambient air and thus purge the goods.

At the expiration of the forties, the boats, still watched by guards, were cleaned and fragrant before entering the port. But in the event that the plague was proven during the forties, the ship and its load had to win the desert island of Jarre to start around forty under the surveillance of arms in arms by avoiding any communication with the people of the city or the terroir.