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Ian Arthur Cameron. Quarantine, What is Old is New. Halifax and the Lawlor's Isiand Quarantine Station: 1866-1938. Halifax: New World Publishing, 200?. 206 pp., illus., maps; Paperback; ISBN: 189581-434-0; $19.95
Among the islands in Halifax Harbour, Lawlor's Island is perhaps the least well-known. Georges Island has its snakes and is easily seen by those with a harbour view. Devil's Island has its connection to Helen Creighton, while McNab's Island was historically a popular picnic area and, from time to time, accessible by ferry. In Quarantine, Ian Cameron documents the history of the quarantine station on Lawlor's Island, from its organization in 1866 in response to a renewed threat of cholera until the last patient left its facilities in May 1938.
In his introduction, Cameron writes that he has "fallen in love" (p. v) with this story and his affections have resulted in a book that is rich in empirical detail and is very nicely illustrated. This is a book intended for a popular audience and it is written in a style that is intended to communicate the facts, often allowing the participants to speak for themselves through generous excerpts from the primary records. Cameron develops his narrative in a linear fashion, explaining the reasons for quarantine, the creation of the quarantine station, and selected key events. Through his description of the effort to protect Halifax from diseases such as cholera, smallpox, typhoid fever, diphtheria, and others, Garrieron introduces the reader to many interesting stories and characters. Several of the quarantine officers, including Charles Gossip, William N. Wickwire, and N.B. MacKay, were notable physicians, and deeply involved in various aspects of...