Quarantined: Life and Death at William Head Station, 1872-1959

by Peter Johnson

Vancouver Island in the late nineteenth century was a major port of entry for people from all walks of life. But for many, the sense of hope that had sustained them through rough sea voyages came to an abrupt halt as soon as they reached land. Quarantined is the heart-wrenching true story of the thousands of forgotten people who arrived on our shores only to be felled by disease, in an era when medical care was unsophisticated at best and attitudes toward the poor and the sick were often narrow minded. It is about the struggle to establish a federally funded quarantine station, which, when it was finally established, became as significant and as longstanding as Grosse Ile in Quebec, Lawlors Island in Halifax, and Ellis Island in New York. At its core Quarantined is a cautionary tale about the exploitation of the sick and the results of government neglect and lack of commitment to pressing national health-care issues affecting the poor and disenfranchised. It is a story that has as much relevance today as it did more than a hundred years ago.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

279 pages, Paperback

First published October 15, 2013

Reviews

[Alishia Reeves · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very interesting history of British Columbia that is not mentioned in BC classrooms. I found the writing style cringe-y. They amount of foreshadowing is very heavy handedly delivered. A lot of research went into this book, you can tell, sometimes it would have tangents randomly of interesting information but not relevant to the story. It was trying to make a documented text book history interesting without fully committing to either. As a native born bc-er I had never heard of the chinese labour company and i am glad i am now aware of it. Most of the things in here were new to me so I am glad I read it. Thanks.

[Sue Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked this up in a second hand stre and was intrigued as I now live on Vancouver Island. Fascinating read; so much history I was unaware of. What is especially interesting is the loop back to present day and the COVID quarantine. Very predictable when we look at the history. Recommend.

[Eileen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book held my attention in every page .A must read and may vaccinations always be a part of healthcare

[Cheryl Jensen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found the writing of this book inconsistent, and not very enjoyable to read. The arrangement of some of the material in the chapters was confusing, jumping in and out of chronological order. The chapter which gave accounts of various children who were schooled at the William Head quarantine station was boring to me, and seemed rather incidental to the book's subject. The author would hint at momentous events to come, but which never seemed to quite live up to their portent. Still, it was interesting to discover facts about the establishment of a tremendously important facility in Canada's history, and a record of the disappointing way the government and citizens regarded and treated minority cultures coming to this land. It was also an eye-opener to the control spread of serious disease, particularly before the days of reliable immunization. It also raised my awareness of the potential risks we face now that air travel has replaced the ships, which has nearly no means of ensuring infectious diseases are not being introduced into the country by global visitors.

[Alli · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a really well written in depth account of quarantine practices in Western Canada. I only gave it a 3 star rating because that's what I expected when I picked it up, but also found long sections of text on the children of the workers and other random aspects. While I understand how this ties into the theme, I would have rather known more about those held captive in the facilities.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Quarantined" tells the fascinating story of the quarantine station on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, from the mid 1800s until its closure in 1959. Johnson has done an admirable job researching the station and provides both an historical and a personal perspective, relating stories of the times and of individuals alike. The organization of the book, however, distracted from the material: I appreciate that Johnson organized the book by topic rather than in a chronological manner, but this forces the reader to jump back and forth in time, sometimes several times in a single chapter, which creates confusion and breaks up the flow of the story. Furthermore, Johnson is obviously on unfamiliar ground when he discusses medical or scientific information, and there are some errors in the book: for example, he discusses treatment of viral infections with and their growing resistance to antibiotics - antibiotics are only effective against bacterial infections. He also posits a very unlikely mechanism regarding the development of antimicrobial resistance and misses the most important point: that resistance is most commonly caused by the overuse and misuse of antimicrobials. Johnson ends his book with an irrelevant and biased political discussion that is shallow and incomplete at best. It is an unfortunate ending to an otherwise informative and enjoyable read.