In 1896 noted Brooklyn architect William B. Tubby was invited by Amherst College graduate George D. Pratt to design an infirmary for the college. The third floor, an isolation unit for contagious diseases, was an integral part of the building a design not seen in 19th century hospitals. It had one entrance, and a balcony surrounded by cubicles, a plan known as "aseptic barrier nursing". Historically the first such unit was credited to the Pasteur Hospital in Paris in 1901. This paper utilizing manuscripts from the Amherst College and Columbia University Archives and newspapers of the period, explores how such an advanced design appeared in Amherst, Massachusetts in 1897.