HEALTH. Freedom from pain or sick ness; the most perfect state of animal life. It may be defined, the natural agreement acid concordant disposition of the parts of the living body.
Public health is an object of the utmost import ance, and has attracted the attention of the national and state legislatures.
By the act of Congress of the 25th of February, 1799. 1 Story, U.S. Laws, 564, it is enacted: sect. 1. That the quarantines and other restraints, which shall be established by the laws of any stnte, re specting, any vessels arriving in or bound to any p HI or district thereof, whether coming from a foreign port or some other part of the United States, shall be observed and enforced by all offi cers of the United States in such place; sect. 4. In times of contagion the collectors of the revenue may remove, under the provisions of the act, into another district; sect. 5. The judge of any uortriet court may, when a contagious disorder prevails in his district, cause the removal of parsons confined in prison under the laws of the United States, into another district; sect. 6. In case of tha prevalence of a contagious disease at the seat of government, the president of the United States may direct the removal of any or all public offices to a place of safety; ee, t. 7. In case of such contagious disease
at the seat of government, the chief justice, or, in case of his death or inability, the senior associate justice, of the supreme court of the United States, may issue his warrant to the marshal of the district court within which the supreme court is by law to he holden, directing him to adjourn the said session of the said court to such other place within the same or adjoining district as he may deem conve nient. And the district judges, under the same cir umstanees, have the same power to adjourn to soma other part of their several districts.
Offences against the provisions of the health laws are generally punished by fine and im prisonment. There are offences against pub lic health, punishable by the common law by fine and imprisonment, such, for example, as selling unwholesome provisions. 4 Black stone, Comm. 162; 2 East, Pl. Cr. 822; 6 id. 133-141; 3 Maule & S. 10; 4 Campb. 10.
Injuries to the health of particular indi viduals are, in general, remedied by an action on the case, or perhaps, in some instances, frr breach of contract, and may be also by abatement, in some cases of nuisance. See 4 Blackstone, Comm. 197; Smith, For. Med. 37-39; NUISANCE; ABATEMENT.