SPITALUL DIN PORTUL SULINA ŞI EPIDEMIA DE HOLERĂ DIN ANUL 1865
The hospital of Sulina Port and the cholera epidemic of 1865

Summary/Abstract: At the beginning of the 19th century cholera arrived to Europe from distant Asia. After the major epidemics that had troubled the European space before, various measures were developed to prevent and stop it. In 1865, because of its strategic position - a gateway to Europe, subject to intense transit that favored the mobility of disease - the Port of Sulina was a meeting point for both epidemic propagation and prevention policies. Local hygienic and sanitary conditions, which often formed the basis of many cases of illness, could not be neglected. There was a need to impose a public health policy at the mouths of the Danube. Therefore, the European Commission established a special hospital in Sulina. It’s activity was part of the coordinates drawn by the ECD regarding the provision and improvement of medical services in the region. These were offered to the city's inhabitants, to Commission staff, and to foreign sailors, who often contracted various diseases or became ill because of poor hygiene onboard ships. However, the hospital’s chief physician, doctor Jellinek, proved, through his medical findings and regulations, the futility of the quarantine system in epidemic situations. Based on his official reports, as well as other archival data, this paper analyzes the ECD's attempt at applying a modern sanitary vision in an unhealthy area.

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