Boston officials enact an ordinance to prevent infectious diseases from reaching their shore
In 1647, Boston officials enacted an ordinance requiring all arriving ships to stop at the harbor entrance or…
Florentine scholar Francesco Rondinelli described the use of the “Wine Windows” to prevent the spread of the Plague
In 1634, the Florentine scholar, Francesco Rondinelli, wrote a report about a disease contagion, now known as the…
The name ‘influenza’ originated in 15th century Italy
In 1580, the first pandemic or worldwide epidemic, that clearly fit the description of influenza occurred in Italy….
The first maritime quarantine opened in Marseilles, France
In 1521, the first maritime quarantine opened in Marseilles, France. The quarantine system in Marseille lasted from 1620…
History’s first recognized influenza pandemic
In 1510, history’s first recognized influenza pandemic originated in Asia and rapidly spread to other continents through eyewitness…
Venice established the world’s first known maritime quarantine station
In 1403, Venice established the world’s first known maritime quarantine station, or lazaretto, on Santa Maria di Nazareth,…
Venice established the world’s first institutionalized system of quarantine
In 1348, Venice established the world’s first institutionalized system of quarantine that gave a council of three the…
Fleas riding on black rats in the holds of Italian ships brought Yersina pestis to the Sicilian port of Messina
In 1346, spread by infected galleys coming from Kaffa (Crimea), the Black Death reached Genoa, as it now…
The Third Lateran Council decreed with Canon 23 separate living arrangements for lepers
In 1179, the Third Lateran Council decreed with Canon 23 living arrangements for lepers and how their necessary…
Outbreaks of bubonic plague declined after claiming half of Europe’s population
In 541, an outbreak of bubonic plague (yersina pestis), a bacterial disease later named the Black Plague or…
DNA evidence of plague found in Europe
Evidence from 4,800 to 3,700 years ago suggested the plague-causing bacterium Yersinia pestis, first arrived in Europe during…