WHAT IS A LAZARETTO?
A "lazaretto" or "lazaret" is a building where people, animals, and goods are quarantined so medical professionals can determine whether they are infected with disease. Lazarettos are isolated parts of urban landscapes. For centuries, lazarettos were the first line of defense against urban epidemics caused by imported disease.
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Explore the exhibit below to learn more!
HISTORY OF LAZARETTOS
In the centuries before planes, trains, and automobiles existed, water-based travel and trade was a necessity. With the global movement of people and animals, the exchange of ideas and technology exploded and societies around the world looked for protection against a common deadly enemy: disease.
Origins
Preventing the spread of disease has always been important for humans. Ancient societies prevented disease with isolation, building sites to contain pestilence. Europeans in the Middle Ages developed "quarantine" as it is known today. Quarantine comes from the Italian word for 40, "quaranta." This refers to the traditional 40 days stay at a lazaretto used by Venetians.
The lazaretto name comes from Lazarus the Beggar. In the Christian Bible, Lazarus is a poor man suffering from an illness popularly believed to be Hansen's disease (leprosy). Christian leper colonies, where individuals living with the disease were sent to spend their days in isolation, were even called "lazar houses" in reference to Lazarus.
Location
One of the earliest modern lazarettos was Lazzaretto Vecchio in Venice, Italy. Built on an island, Lazzaretto Vecchio (1423) quarantined passenger and merchant ships coming into Venice to prevent the spread of bubonic plague. Like Lazzaretto Vecchio, quarantine stations were usually located on islands or in out-of-the-way areas near water. They needed to be secluded from cities in order to prevent contagion from spreading.
Administration
Many European and American quarantine sites built before the 1800s were owned and run by religious sects, notably the Roman Catholic Church and their monastic orders. Lazzaretto Ancona (1733) in Italy was constructed under the orders of Pope Clement XII during another bout of plague in Eurasia.
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Non-religious lazarettos and quarantine sites were administered by local and regional governments. The Lazzaretto of Dubrovnik (1590), was created by the Grand Council of the Republic of Ragusa. Located in modern-day Croatia, this Mediterranean city-state adopted a policies as early as 1377 requiring all non-citizens to be quarantined when they arrive in port. The lazarettos built under these laws remained in use as government-run quarantine facilities until World War I (1914-1918).
Landscape
While lazaretto building designs vary based on time and place of construction, they generally share a few elements
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Multiple buildings for different needs
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Hospital
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Quarantine living quarters
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Staff living quarters
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Kitchens and bake houses
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Outbuildings
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Yard or building for quarantined ship cargo
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Windows or porches for fresh air flow
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Green space for social activities
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Clear boundaries to restrict access and spread of contagion
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Geographic (island, water)​
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Man-made (walls, gates, bridges)
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FAST FACT
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In public health, quarantine and isolate have different meanings!
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quarantine - to separate a person or group in order to observe whether they show symptoms of disease
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isolate - to separate a person or group who is known to be infected with a disease to prevent the disease from spreading
LAZZARETTO OF DUBROVNIK - CROATIA
Tall walls protect the Lazzaretto of Dubrovnik from the sea and the people of Dubrovnik from the potentially infected individuals inside. The Lazzaretto was part of other quarantine sites nearby, such as Lokrum.
HÔPITAL CAROLINE - FRANCE
Built in the Frioul Islands, Hôpital Caroline was the main quarantine station for the Port of Marseilles. It is now part of a national park celebrating the facility's history.
EL TOR - EGYPT
Located on the Red Sea coastline, the city of El Tor included a quarantine camp to prevent the spread of cholera in the Sinai Peninsula. The building above was used as part of the hospital complex.
PHILADELPHIA LAZARETTO
Origins
Philadelphia was the vision on William Penn, a British colonist who wanted to create a city that reflected his Quaker principles. Penn desired green spaces and orderly streets set in a grid pattern. However, Philadelphia's popularity as a seaport led to rapid population growth near the Delaware River and increased public health concerns.
People crowded together in small spaces lets disease spread easily. In a big city, this can lead to epidemics and large death tolls. For a growing city in the American colonies, contagion threatened not only existing residents but also the chances that new migrants would settle in the city. A lazaretto was part of the solution.
Location
The first Philadelphia lazaretto was built at Fort Mifflin, a Revolutionary era military base on Mud Island. Like Mediterranean quarantine sites, the Fort Lazaretto was placed near to the city, but in a spot that let ships come into port for inspection before entering the city itself.
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In the 1790s, Philadelphia had multiple yellow fever outbreaks. Fear of this contagious disease and the belief that it came from Caribbean migrants led to city leaders building a new lazaretto farther downriver. As of 1801, the 1799 Philadelphia Lazaretto is located in Tinicum Township, Delaware County.
Landscape
Set apart from Philadelphia by a few miles, the Lazaretto and its landscape has much in common with other quarantine sites around the world.
Multiple buildings
The Lazaretto site includes the main building and hospital, staff and family housing, a post office, and cargo storage among other structures. Having many areas to place people helps contain disease when if it is discovered.
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Windowed architecture
Following the design of Philadelphia hospitals
and almshouses, the main Lazaretto building
has windows in every room. A porch wraps
around the main floor, encouraging
quarantined individuals to get outside and
enjoy the fresh air during their stay. Infected
patients would also be brought outside for air
cures.
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Green space
At the time of construction and during most
of the Lazaretto's operations, the surrounding
area was rural. The property had anywhere
from 8-10 acres, ample room to move and
get fresh air. In the 18th century, fresh air was
thought to be important to preventing and curing.
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Clear boundaries
The Lazaretto was built on Tinicum Island, right on the edge of the Delaware River. Historically, land access was limited to a few roads and water access by the landing docks for ships. There were also gates.
Administration
Philadelphia was a hub for developments in American medicine starting in the mid-1700s. City leaders in politics, religion, and medicine built both the landscape and support for public hospitals, almshouses, and asylums. Most leaders were European colonists and Quakers, bringing over their ideas about health and charity.
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The 1799 Philadelphia Lazaretto was created by the Philadelphia Board of Health. This government organization was dedicated to protecting citizens from disease, both biological and moral. Eventually, the United States federal government took over Lazaretto operations before closing the site in 1895.
FAST FACT
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Both the Fort Mifflin Lazaretto and the 1799 Philadelphia Lazaretto were called many names including
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lazaretto
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quarantine station
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marine hospital
