| Summary: | Joint report of the Maryland House Committee on Commerce and Manufactures and a Senate special committee regarding the system of quarantine in the Quarantine Station in New Orleans and the Board of Health. Numerous documents are included in the report. The report includes information on the finances of the Board of Health, interrogations related to the Quarantine Station and cases. The committee concludes, "For particulars, your committee would respectfully refer to document marked F, appended to, and made a part of this report. Your committee cannot forbear expressing their astonishment at so large an expenditure in this department, and would particularly call attention to the items of advertising, printing, stationary, rent, and to commission charged by the Secretary for the collection of debts, etc.; which charge for commissions--the salary of the Secretary being fixed by law--your committee find no warrant for. ... The attention of your committee, was next directed to the practical operation of the quarantine system, in its effects upon the interests of commerce; they sought information on this point from a variety of sources ... and their minds have been brought to the conclusion, that it has proved expensive, inconvenient, and exceedingly burthensome in this respect. They furthermore believe, that no modification of the law can be devised which will be of any essential benefit as regards the public health; your committee being satisfied that yellow fever and cholera cannot be excluded by any system of quarantine, they, therefore, recommend a repeal of the existing law." (Page 9)
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