Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1876-07-27

July l6. II. 400
All Of these e were under 5 years of
age. The Board of Health saw the
extreme necessity of something being
done to lessen this growing mortality
hence the appointment of fifty physi-
clans to visit the tenement houses
and do their best to save the lives of
the little ones.
The first thing to do was to dis
trict the city. This was done early
yesterday morning, and at p. m,
every physician had his district al
loted him, and started out on his hu-
manitarian but somewhat disagree
able duty. The Board had some
difficulty in getting fifty doctors to
do the work, for every man in the
profession of repute has as much as
he can do to-day to attend to his pri-
vate practice. Calls were made upon
the police surgeons, and a majority
Of them responded. That there was
no time to be lost was fact general
ly impressed upon the corps, and
they were requested to get to work at
once. With the mercury at SO they
started out on their professional du-
ty. The neighborhood Of Police
Headquarters abounds with tenement
houses, and the doctors districted in
that vicinity had not far to travel in
order to beg in their W ork
A reporter of the Herald accompa-
MED one Of the physicians whose dis
trict was on the east side of town, in
the most thickly populated section
between the Bowery and the East
River. Walking up Broome street,
the Doctor struck the immense tene-
ment beginning with No. 200. There
was little white streamer of Grape
upon the bell-handle. The entrance
was crowded with women and chill
dren, half clothed, trying to get in
the breeze in the hallways,-a breeze
laden with stenches proceeding
from the green-looking gutter in front
of the half-emptied garbage box.
"Are there any sick children in
this house?" said the Doctor. address
ing fat woman tanning herself with
the top of an old wicker basket
Faith, and there's plenty of them,
zur. We had four funerals out OF
here the last week, nearly as many
as they had over the other way"
Are you doctor. sir?"
"Yes, 1 am" replied the representa-
tive from the Board of Health.
Here, faix, there is pliDty for ye to
do. But the divil bit of good does
the doctors seem to dc. Give 'em
plinty OF nourishing food days and
fresh air, and keep 'em quiet and
COOL and how the divil is anybody to
do it."
There were thirty families in this
house, numbering over $50 souls. The
first floors visited were occupied by
the better class of mechanics. There
were sick children in every family In
different stages Of disease, most Of
them children in arms. Nearly all
had doctors, and in such cases
nothing was being done beyond
giving general advice and to impress
upon the mother the necessity OF car
rying out the instructions OF the reg
ular physician. Many women seemed
to regard theBoard Of Health repre-
sentative as an intruder, and init
mated they were perfectly able to
look after the welfare OF their chill
dren without free aid.
Passing up to the third, fourth and
fifth floors the real place for work
was discovered. In one room was a
little girl OF about nine years Of age,
bearing in her arms a child Of per-
haps 2t years. Its little arms looked
like pipestems and quite as white, its
eyes sunken and blue around the
sockets. Now and again it would
start up and cry and stretch as
though in pain and then sink back
again quiet. The Doctor approached,
and the following conversation en-
sued:
Doctor-Are you caring for this
little boy?
Girl-Yes, sir.
Doctor-How long has he been
sick?
Girl-Four or five days.
The room was dirty and the air ex-
ceedingly foul, and the Doctor took
the little ones hand and said:
"Can't you change this little ones
clothes?"
Girl-Mother said 1 was to let him
be till she came back.
Doctor-Where is your mother?
Giri-She's gone out to washing.
She says she can't afford to stay at
home and watch him.
The poor little child was in the
last stage Of the disease. and the Doc
tor gave it as his opinion that it
would not live through the night. He
said: "You must give your mother
this prescription directly when she
comes in, and these tickets (for the