Forty Days: Quarantine and the Traveller, c. 1700 - c. 1900

Forty Days: Quarantine and the Traveller, c. 1700–1900, is a book that describes the inadequate accommodation, poor food, and boredom experienced by detainees in virtual prisons, including mud huts in the Danube basin and a converted fort on Malta. It also draws attention to comradeship, sickness, and death in detention, as well as Casanovas unique ability to do what he did best even in the lazaretto of Ancona. Lavishly illustrated, the work includes a gazetteer of 49 lazarettos in Europe and Asia Minor, with inmates comments on each.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 216 pages
Publication date: 31 May 2023
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

"Forty Days: Quarantine and the Traveller, c. 1700 – 1900" serves as a poignant reminder that throughout centuries, no traveler venturing to the East could return without undergoing a mandatory 40-day quarantine in a lazaretto. These quarantine facilities, ranging from mud huts in the Danube basin to converted forts in Malta, evoked a spectrum of emotions, spanning from hatred and hostility to resignation and even contentment. Drawing from the diaries and journals of approximately 300 men and women from diverse nationalities spanning over two centuries, the author vividly portrays the inadequate accommodations, substandard food, and relentless boredom endured by detainees. The book also sheds light on the camaraderie, illness, and deaths that occurred within these detention centers, as well as Casanovas remarkable resilience in maintaining his artistic pursuits even amidst the confines of the Ancona lazaretto. Among the notable detainees were renowned figures such as Hans Christian Andersen, Mark Twain, and Sir Walter Scott. Beautifully illustrated, the work includes a comprehensive gazetteer of 49 lazarettos across Europe and Asia Minor, featuring inmates' comments on each facility. This captivating book will captivate readers with an interest in medicine's history and the rich tapestry of travel throughout different eras.

Weight: 453g
Dimension: 234 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781032050355