institution
Lazaretto
lazaretto
also: lazaretum, lazzaretto, quarantine hospital
A lazzaretto (from Lazarus) was a quarantine hospital or pesthouse for those afflicted by epidemic disease; the 'common coffin of the lazaretto' in 'Chronicle of the Fate of Two Coins' is the tale's most devastating image of the poor man's fate — union in death rather than life.
Reading notes
- Tales (Five Stories) §7 lazaretto
A lazzaretto was a quarantine hospital or pesthouse for those afflicted by epidemic disease; named after the biblical Lazarus. The 'common coffin of the lazaretto' — a mass grave for the poor — is the tale's bleakest image.