Pest house

Pest House is a term historically used to refer to a hospital or quarantine station for people with infectious diseases, especially plague or smallpox. The term is derived from the French word peste, meaning plague.

History

The concept of the pest house has its origins in the Middle Ages, when leprosy was a widespread disease. Lepers were often isolated in separate facilities, which were later used for other infectious diseases. The first recorded pest house in England was in London in 1348.

In the United States, pest houses were commonly used during outbreaks of smallpox in the 18th and 19th centuries. They were often located on the outskirts of towns and cities, away from populated areas, to prevent the spread of disease.

Function

The primary function of a pest house was to isolate people with infectious diseases from the general population. Patients were typically confined to the pest house until they were no longer contagious. In some cases, people who had been exposed to a disease but were not yet showing symptoms were also quarantined in a pest house.

Criticism and Decline

Pest houses were often criticized for their poor conditions and lack of medical care. Many were overcrowded and unsanitary, leading to high mortality rates among patients. The use of pest houses declined in the 20th century with the development of vaccines and antibiotics, which made it possible to treat many infectious diseases without isolation.

See Also

• Quarantine
• Isolation (health care)
• Infectious disease

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