The New York herald., 1879-07-08
Tour of the Health Boards SAM
tary Inspectors.
SEARCH FOR THE SUFFERING
Difficulties Encountered by the Medical
Officers in Tenement Districts


weeks services the of $780, and it is supposed
that he will give all the time he spare from his
professional engagements to this work OF visitation
He may adopt plan of inspecting every house on
block before beginning Oh another so as to
make sure of leaving mono unvisited. but II he DO
long acquainted with the locality under his charge
he easily determine the class of houses where he
may expect to find sick children. When he does
find any he examines and prescribes for them and
reports the cases to the Board of Health. He fire.
quently meets with people too poor to pay even for
the necessary medicine and in such instances he
informs the Health authorities. who keep stock of
drugs on hand tor gratuitous distribution. AS a
rule the poor people rather welcome the visits Of
the sanitary inspectors, but the landlords not
always agreeable, and when not buntly refusing to
give information resort to evasion to avoid the ad
mission of sickness being on their premises. DR..
jayne of the Health Bureau said yesterday that the
present inspection. which chiefly designed to treat
poor children suffering from illness, though. of
course, poor adults in the condition will also
be attended to. will be followed when the necessary
appropriation is made by further inspection of the
houses themselves by men acquainted with the prin-
ciples Of drainage and ventilation.
SANITARY INSPECTORS HOUNDS
DIR. L. j. Donlin of No. 40 Spring street. who has
charge of the district extending from Broadway to
accompanied yesterday by HERALD reporter on his
tour OF inspection. The Doctor ON the way spoke Of
the drawbacks to health in certain portions Of the
city where population is dense. and summed up the
whole evil III the lack of air and ventilation. lit is
amazing to see the change" he observed. s'that
comes over the children of the tenement houses
q breezy day like this and yesterday in the middle
OF the summer Those that were prostrate and
sick while the heat lasted jump to their feet and
pear we'll This Is healthy city, and only
for it's oyercrowded tenement houses would have
less death rate Ill proportion to population than any
other city in the world What is needed is more
room and more air, or better system OF ventilation
in tenement houses. always recommend the
mothers OF children suffering from summer sickness
to carry them out of doors in the cool OF the morn
ing and evening. The air they get the better,
Snd s1 the only place 'heS can ma " is on the slae
..How do the people take the visits Of the sanitary
.'They never complain: in fact many welcome
them, and have had it said to mcleod bless
YOU doctor; glad to see you come around again;
and have doctor of their own or say that they have
one of their own. Some of them have habit OF
doctoring The children themselves in cases of
cholera infanum. Irish women uso castor oil and
German women red wine.
'Frequently. If come across men or women
who have no money to pay for physician we pre-
scribe for then but these chiefly old people who
suffer from the heat almost much as the children
VISITING A TENEMENT HOUSE,.
'Let go in here said the Doctor. mounting
the stoop OF house ON the north side OF St. Johns
square 1t had been evidently once stylish man.
sion, but had descended by degrees to the miserable
fortunes OF q tenement. woman of slatternly
drcss and unkempt hair stood in the entrance, with
traces OF thankess toll and wearness depicted in her
face.
..Are there any children in this house?" asked the
Doctor.
eyes, lots of EN-" she replied in tone and with
look that expressed evident wish that there were
..Are any of them sick?" continued the Doctor.
''Some OF 'cm look IL they were. but. perhaps,
it's only hungry they are You can see up stairs for
yourself. So the doctor and the reporter vanished
up broad staircase and knocked at door Oh the
upper story. On every side were melancholy traces
OF the former opulent character of those who lived
IN the house. There were battered rosewood doors
held together by pieces or scantling, broken mould
ings. fallen plaster and all the evidence OF dwelling
"gone to the dogs"
"Whom would you like to see?' asked u sad-faccd
woman holding her scanty dress together in front
of her with nervous clutch.
"Have you any sick children here9" inquired the
doctor, glancing in over the heads Of half dozen
barcfooted boys and girls.
"well. yes. sir-that is. we had two of 'em sick;
but the fine cool weather made em all right again.
1t summer sickness they had.
''Have they all been vaccinatcdT
"All but a little thing six months DID,.
'And why don't you have it vaccinated?'
Don't want to, sir. till the summer is over.
"You'd better have 1t vaccinated?"
"1hat. sir. would kill it entirely. and we'd rather
take the risk and was.
.There it u.s." remarked the doctor as he came
down stairs. they all have prejudice against
having their children vaccnated in the summer.
matter whether smallpox is around or not"
INFANTS.
The next visit to tenement house in Hubert
street where on the second story a young married
woman stood in the hallway. and in answer to the
question to any of the children on her floor
being sick, led the way without replying into
rear room, aud pointing to crib shaded with
victim was infant of fourteen months old. with
round iul but very pale face. The mother looked
with socitude from the child to the doctor and in
the very few words of English that she could COM
nand ntnated that the baby had been very bad.
but to some extent growing better: The little
room hardly nine feet square, and the furni-
ture consisted OF only the baby's crib and few
chairs. The doctor gave his usual prescription in
such cascs-chalk mixture and paregoric-and as
drink rice barley water boiled milk.
In St. Johns lane there were six of children
that had not been vaccinaed. and while the parents
three OF these quite favor of allowing the
doctor 10 operate. the other three were firmly OPP
posed to it.. Those that were willing said that the
vaccine had taken well last year administered by
the Health Inspectors that they were perfectly
pleased to il tried again.
In York street white and colored babies were found
mingling and bowling together amid scenes of dirt
and dilapdation not unexpected in that quarter of
the city. notwithstanding the NTH and ietid ut.
mosphcrc Of many OF the tencments in this street
there were but two cases Of summer sickness dis
covered. and these appeared to be recovering under
the influence of the cool atmosphere.
In Greenwich street a row of small tcncments.
extending No. 4o5 to No. AIT. contains large
multitude of children. They old rookories, but
tolcrably clean, the at No. All being excep-
ton the yard being full OF stagnant pools of soap
suds and rubbish.
A BApy OF LARGE DIMENSIONS.
The doctor hoppcd up stairs in one of these
houses and asked the usual question to babies in
pair of sly. twinkling eyes in her head.
"Yes. here's baby" said she. bcckonng across
the room. while the doctor. who stood outside tho
door, searched his vest pockets for materials OF
vaccination Presently up came blooming young
girl of seventeen the old woman crying out as she
showed her forward toward the doctor. "vaccinato
her L. you dar."
AT No. 4l3 Washington street. four sitting
the rear stoop OF tenement sang out in chorus.
"Yes there Is young woman here with - SICK
baby. Come here. Esty" and Esty little German
blonde, came forward and said, "vell, de baby he
hate goera himfantum shus droe days, and he stop
NIT IL last night"
'wiat did YOU give for it?''
81 shust gif him u lcetle red wine now and vonce
again now an he hate looscness init his bowels
b anymore" To provide against relapse and not
having much faith in the efficacy of red wine the
doctor gave tho little mother his customary pre-
scrpton, for which she was profuscly thankful.
1t is beyond doubt that but for the cool weather
of the past few days hundreds of OF sickness
would be found whore there only few,
and 1t is equally certain that the breezy air has
helped TO restore many to health with whom medi-
cine might have been of no avail.