An Abandoned Mansion In NYC Raises Questions

Origin Of North Brother

While North Brother Island was in use, the victims of smallpox would only remain on the island while they were in their contagious period or they would be buried there. Once they had recovered they were permitted to leave the island and return home.

A program of vaccination based on the work of Edward Jenner, who had discovered that infection with a weak version of the disease, cowpox, provided an effective barrier that prevented people from catching full-blown smallpox, had been run out worldwide and effectively eliminated the disease globally. Smallpox victims could be removed from the city and placed in the sanitarium on the island where they would be cared for by medical staff who had already suffered from and recovered from the disease.