Dutch legislation concerning infectious diseases dated from 1872 and 1884, when was issued the Wet op de besmettelijke ziekten (Law on contagious diseases). This law distinguished seven types of contagious diseases. In the Netherlands Indies, the NI Ordinance of February 1892 summed up a limited number of contagious diseases and emphasized the dangers of importing these diseases from overseas. Both these legal statutes regulated the medical supervision , publication, isolation, nursing and transport of patients. These regulations also stipulated the way deceased persons should be buried and how to dispose of contaminated objects. The care for disinfection included expropriation, destruction and compensation.
Before 1890, a few hospitals, sometimes temporary facilities, were built near large harbors to cope with sudden epidemics, imported from abroad. Often they were extensions or annexes to existing general hospitals, but in some cases there was created a separate hospital.
After 1890, hospitals for infectious diseases were established in three Harbour cities. One was at Tandjong Priok (Batavia).
The Government Decision of 21 June 1909 no. 14 assigns an amount of ƒ 2000 for the building of barracks that isolate patients. As dysentery claimed a lot of victims on Nias, in Natal and Batang Natal in the Residency Tapanoeli this budget was used for the mentioned purpose.The annual report of the Civil Medical Service of 1909  mentions the opening in August 1909 of Dysentery barracks at Boetar (Toba Plains).
Since the opening 96 patients had been admitted of whom 20 died. See annual report of the Civil Medical Service of 1909.