ΕλληνικάLazaretto Island 1844-1847
Ships arriving in the ports of foreign countries were required to undergo the relevant health checks before the authorities give permission to the crew to move freely. In those years the various tapes diseases cause terrible destruction from where they happened to pass. Those who had to travel from one place to another, feared that would result in a quarantine station where they expected an “imprisoned” for weeks on end. In each port there quarantine, usually outside the commercial part of the harbor, where I had to stop all the ships that came from abroad. The port doctor was learning the exact origin of the boat, if there was no illness there, how many days was the boat into the sea if there was sick on board.
When the ship’s journey was long, then the restriction of the ship was accordingly limited. and conversely, when the trip from a foreign port was short, then the restriction grew. The health limitation in the Greek dialect called naval “quarantine” of the Italian quarantina meaning “forty”. Essentially restricting the health station or lazaretto each port was an informal imprisonment. The prisoners were not allowed to come into contact with anyone else outside the lazaretto. Even the letters transposed, an expert employee of the health disinfected, passing over the fire burning with brimstone. !!!
The buildings of stone were differences Quarantine and life there was difficult and sometimes painful. Lazaretto in Ithaca when katefthane a ship, the port doctor, dish the captain and crew on the waterfront outside the ship, they took all their clothes and gave them others, which had previously gone through smoke for disinfection. after a military escort captain and crew epigainan in Lazaretto, where remained shut as many days as the doctor decided. The boat went to the administration of the island authorities to be disinfected. The ship sails the sea threw washed. As long as the captain and the crew was to quarantine the ship guarding the guardians “Vardianoi” Board of Health or ” health watchers” during the official terminology Ionian State. Port of Ithaca is completely closed, and in which is inside it is impossible to know what happens outside. To be able to check from which direction came the ships at the entrance of the Gulf of Aetos in Skinos position Venetians had built a stone viewpoint, from where there watchers- Vardianoi the Board of Health, saw the direction the ship was coming and notice to of service.
Lazaretto of Ithaca was built on a low islet located in the Deep Port. The buildings were demolished in the earthquake of ’53 were built at the beginning of British rule for using Board of Health. In the first world war the lazaretto had become prisoners of war camp. Today the island is the church of St. Savior. Anything which does not resemble the old quarantine station, where hundreds of sailors passed, many of them were suffering in appalling conditions of frozen and liquid buildings.
Πηγή: Γιάννης Σ. Βλασσόπουλος «Το Λαζαρέττο της Ιθάκης στα 1844 – 1847».
