ABSTRACT
It might appear ironic that, in the years after the first cholera pandemic, quarantine was intensely discussed against a background in which cholera played only a minor role. The reasons for this new debate were varied and complex, but may be summarized under four headings: the first was the resurgence of bubonic plague; the second was the institution of new quarantine restrictions in countries where they were distinctly unwelcome by merchants; the third was the introduction of scheduled steamship services, especially those linking Britain via Egypt with the Indian subcontinent; and the fourth was the growing intolerance to quarantine of the British Mediterranean fleet. These factors must be considered briefly in turn.
