Previous Quarantines
Scarlet Fever
In late March 1915, Frank H. Andrews '17 came down with scarlet fever. At the time, before the invention of antibiotics, it was a leading killer of children in America. Section C of Medbery was closed, and after several more students became ill, Hobart ended classes a few days early going into Easter break. The Colleges set up a small infirmary in the old gymnasium, also known as Alumni Hall, which had been abandoned for several years. Frank Andrews was quarantined for four weeks. Everyone made a full recovery, except for the old gymnasium, which burned down in June.
Polio
In 1916, there was a pandemic of polio in the United States centered in New York City. It killed thousands in the city, and tens of thousand nationwide.
As the disease spread from the city into the rest of New York state, there was concern in Geneva about students returning to campus. The Board of Trustees met and decided to postpone the beginning of the semester and require all students to submit a medical certificate showing that they had not contracted polio. A letter explaining this was sent to every student. The one sent to Rosalind Daniels '20 can be seen below.
