In 1831, Prussia was consumed by two fears: the possibility of revolution resulting from the 1830 November Uprising of Poland against Russia, and a looming cholera epidemic. As the contagion made its way across Russia, Prussian medical officials took note and prepared to respond to what they thought was a highly contagious disease. When it spread to Poland, Prussia instituted a strict quarantine policy on its border, inhibiting Prussian support of the Russian war effort in Poland. From the Polish perspective the quarantine was seen as a deliberate act of sabotage against the revolution, an...