CONTAGIOUS DISEASES. Diseases which are capable of being transmitted by mediate or immediate contact.
Persons sick of such disorders may re main in their own houses; Boom v. City of Utica, 2 Barb. (N. Y.) 104; but are indict able for exposing themselves in a public place endangering the public. See 4 M. & S. 73, 272. Nuisances which produce such diseases may be abated; Meeker v. Van Rensselaer, 15 Wend. (N. Y.) 397. See Peo ple v. Townsend, 3 Hill (N. Y.) 479; Barclay v. Corn., 25 Pa. 503, 64 Am. Dec. 715 ; Cald well v. Bridal, 48 Ia. 15 ; and a right of ac tion may also be had for injury done to health; Jarvis v. Ry. Co., 26 Mo. App. 253; Fow v. Roberts, 108 Pa. 489.
A landlord is liable in damages for rent ing a property knowing it to be contaminat ed with an infectious disease; Snyder v. Gor den, 12 N. Y. St. Rep. 556; under the police power, cities and towns may adopt ordinanc es for the preservation and promotion of the health of the inhabitants; Com. v. Cutter, 156 Mass. 52, 29 N. E. 1146; Corn. v. Hub ley, 172 Mass. 58, 51 N. E. 448, 42 L. R. A. 403, 70 Am. St. Rep. 242; Borden's Con densed Milk Co. v. Board of Health, 81 N. J. L. 218, 80 Atl. 30. It is not uncon stitutional, as a deprivation of property without due process of law, to pass an or dinance directing a milk inspector to de stroy all milk below a certain standard of purity without notice to the owner; Blazier v. Miller, 10 Hun (N. Y.) 435; nor is an act unconstitutional as denying equal protection of the laws which gives a state board of health authority to prevent the landing of passengers and goods from a ship to a lo cality infected by contagious disease; Corn pagnie Francaise de Navigation a Vapeur v. Board of Health, 186 U. S. 380, 22 Sup.
Ct. 811, 46 L. Ed. 1209, affirming 51 La. Ann. 645, 25 South. 691, 56 L. R. A. 795, 72 Am. St. Rep. 458; vaccination laws making vaccination of children a condition of their attendance in public schools are not un constitutional ; Viemeister v. White, 88 App. Div. 44, 84 N. Y. Supp. 712, affirmed 179 N. Y. 235, 72 N. E. 97, 70 L. R. A. 796, 103 Am. St. Rep. 859, 1 Ann. Cas. 334.
A state law may also prohibit the trans portation of cattle from another state, ex cept under certain conditions requiring a certificate of health of such cattle, and it is not an interference with interstate com merce; Reid v. Colorado, 187 U. S. 137, 23 Sup. Ct. 92, 47 L. Ed. 108; St. Louis S. Ry. Co. v. Smith, 20 Tex. Civ. App. 451, 49 S. W. 627, affirmed Smith v. Ry. Co., 181 U. S. 248, 21 Sup. Ct. 603,' 45 L. Ed. 847; and so with regard to sheep; State v. Rasmussen, 7 Idaho 1, P9 Pac. 933, 52 L. R. A. 78, 97 Am. St. Rep. 234, affirmed in Rasmussen v. Idaho, 181 U. S. 198, 21 Sup. Ct. 594, 45 L. Ed. 820. Sleeping car companies may exclude from their cars insane persons and persons afflicted with contagious or infec tious diseases ; Pullman Car Co. v. Krauss, 145 Ala. 395, 40 South. 398, 4 L. R. A. (N. S.) 103, 8 Ann. Cas. 218.
See HEALTH.