"The idea of infection began to be taken far more seriously than it ever had before. Hospitals transformed themselves in response to the new plague - sometimes for the better, but often for the worse, as when, in fear, they cast their ulcerated patients out into the streets"
About this Quote
The intent here is to complicate our instinct to treat medical history as a steady march toward enlightenment. The “new plague” functions less as a specific disease than as a stress test. Under pressure, hospitals reveal what they are: not only sites of care, but also gatekeepers of purity, reputation, and risk management. “Infection” becomes a moral category as much as a biological one. When contagion is newly “taken seriously,” the serious thing may be not science but social sorting - who gets protected inside and who is made disposable outside.
The subtext is a warning about how quickly compassion becomes conditional when danger is in the air. Allen’s diction (“cast,” “ulcerated”) is almost medieval, implying that modern institutions can revert to old cruelties with alarming ease. The context isn’t just historical medicine; it’s the recurring pattern of public health emergencies producing both genuine innovation and sanctioned abandonment, often in the same breath.
Quote Details
| Topic | Health |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Allen, Peter Lewis. (2026, January 16). The idea of infection began to be taken far more seriously than it ever had before. Hospitals transformed themselves in response to the new plague - sometimes for the better, but often for the worse, as when, in fear, they cast their ulcerated patients out into the streets. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/the-idea-of-infection-began-to-be-taken-far-more-115542/
Chicago Style
Allen, Peter Lewis. "The idea of infection began to be taken far more seriously than it ever had before. Hospitals transformed themselves in response to the new plague - sometimes for the better, but often for the worse, as when, in fear, they cast their ulcerated patients out into the streets." FixQuotes. January 16, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/the-idea-of-infection-began-to-be-taken-far-more-115542/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"The idea of infection began to be taken far more seriously than it ever had before. Hospitals transformed themselves in response to the new plague - sometimes for the better, but often for the worse, as when, in fear, they cast their ulcerated patients out into the streets." FixQuotes, 16 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/the-idea-of-infection-began-to-be-taken-far-more-115542/. Accessed 7 Feb. 2026.
