New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-11-07
FREE MEDICINE FOR POOR PEOPLE,

WORK OF THE PUBLIC DISPENSAfIES.
SCENES AT THE ESSEN MARKEF DIsPENsARY-DIVl-
SION OF TIE wORK-HOw THE EXPENSE Is
BORNE.
Much has been said and written recently
about tenement house reform and plans have been MS
cusscd for aiding the poor people who are copeeu 10
live in these high brick buildings, where sickness Is breu
by poor ventilation defective drainage, ana olch -
the unclcaniiness the occupants. Meanwhile quiet
and unostentatous charity has been at work mol 70
prove the dwellings Of the poor but to prevent sickness
and cure disease The city dspcnsarics do much to lc
leye the needs Of the sick and destitute poor More
than fifteen thousand children are born each year III 'hS
city, whose mothers depend upon these places ioradNce
and medicine, which can be obtained Tor nolmhE'
The physicians of the dispensary situated over Essex
Market at Grand and EsscX-st- attend TO all the SICK
moor within the district bounded by Pike and Allen sts,
First-ave. Fourtcenth-st., and the East River from
Foureenhst to Pike ST. the place Of beginning lheIe
are twenty-five physicians connected with TINS h'peh'
sary eighteen OF whom devote their time 10 patents Wh"
apply the Office. Three visit the helpless sick nj hrt
homes while the duty Of the other TO receive III APP
phcants for treatment, 10 examine into their condition
and class them. lie is known the house physician.
TRIBUNE reporter visited the dispcnsary one day last
week. and entering the consulting room Of DIT carr Won
Holzscluher, seated himself by the doctors side To
watch the patients they entered after the Other
neverending line OF pain and misery
stalwart young man clad IN blue shirt and rough
suit Of Clothes giving his business licensed ycnder
complained Of poor appetite and inability to retain
food BY close questioning il learned that be- was
much fond at foamy lager, and after INDUCING
rather freely few nights before had fallen asleep III
hall and had taken cold Then came short conrump.
overlooking man with Jewish cast Of features, Who
complained 81 "A terrible fever that consumed him day
and rendered him unfit FOR work; his family IN couse-
qucncc was deprived Of its only means o. support
THAT" said the doctor turning 10 the reporter aiicr
Tie patient had departed With hs prescription, " is
cast malarini fevcr aud It Is very hard To cure We
have many such"
woman carrying Child in her arms was the next 20
enter The child was go thin that the skin hung
I'm .hrivcllcd folds ON ts little wasted body tsarms and
l. se,frd nothing hut bone. The face had ycowi-h
TINT through which the blue veins cond 'c srrn dis
t,ury The eyes were very large and seemed 90 bc r.
treating mo the mead. rpny mucous discharge was
continually oDziug from the nos, and month u had
German woman had iaicd tahr prompt action TO cure
them. IT, case Wa holet.'. a n.ur Et, ho, i',r
brother few ycar- Younger than LerscL When asked
vat her fathers business vas she -aid hc never worked;
the family wn- supported hy her sisters.
lie has pain u hls breast that hurts him when DE
Tho ioy was carefully examined by the ply -Iann who
decided that BIZ lun-s were ah'ctet. Thou cuno
vonng mother leading little boy about xix year, old
FncutHl sores ""r" on DBL. lace anu Ahl.-.
Any Other OF ygar i""y ever "''''' the same
air L,. brother also has them nut not -o bad"
ibnt boz Is -cronou,," ruid the DhYscuu % The re
portcr iIr ht- evidently inherited H. but II proper
i r,Ir H. taken OF MN hc may ouirrov h."
t,ticr y,ls.,u Who han brought her little GIRL 90 De-
treated Tor weakness which ooS the form 'i 81 Wins
dance va told Dg sue physician 60 keep hcrq quiet and To-
ief nor have uo bIi-t,rpua companions.
ION can never make her keep 7th!' exclaimed The
mohcl she lu OF life 10 would Dee impossible TO
'"wrn. eau only tell you what to do II you cannot
, ~, y,, ~, was the ply ,iciaus reply.
IL H. surprising wLut httc conuo. great many pa
rents have over thor children Hr '"hil.u'n "inn ="
the reporter. child r. hiLhS l'd seems '" ,h'l
H gci ,yl f The, want and do a. they please
and often during spell ~ sickness child Obtains ~
mucn control over Itr ho.hci iha heI "'i""J ' ioS'
such are few Illustrations Of the work that Is per
tbrnurn Many patients 10 the dl7pcu'ar1 until tt''r
irrasc renders them too feeble 10 do 40, when ph
are 30 ignorant that the physclaus hnd mucn
difficulty Ia making tnrn understand roe I''u"' ''
accompany each prescription. Tie reporter hoird itr
great which the pht clnns seemed 10 take I'D h''tI
tanning the lihn-u Of each patient Many patients -uI
tercst taken patients "th intricate o. dangerous
complaints. ...,.
cnce la ls-O 1887 patients were treated "t iu- dl-
pcnsary, nud 800 al mon homes s,lVt WEI, m @
hospital, and 30 ded; 27l13 prescription M'T, EIEc
ISs 20 rick persons visited az their homes and
1000 treated az the dirpch-ary Inc most com
mon complaint from which these poor people sHiri Is
rhrunati-m ana 4JI were treated iOr Il no 1850 NcNt
h bronchitis, having IA victims; l5l persons hnd me
me aslcs; 10 liberated legs; - indigestion o.
alc0hoism; rs various kinds OF fcycrA and - reht
di,easc One treated for " bullet ~ The BRAN.
Not one, however, treated for consumption. ihr
proportion prescr lions Tor each patient Was one ana
One-uuaTer. The average cost al each prescription h7
been about cents, making the ave rage cost "I
the medicine furnished to each patient I'VE cent?.
The total expense of the management Tor l77o
WAS So UGg o. The cost therefore Tor each patient "h7
twenty-five cents. During the year 1850 the 'll OF
New-York subscribe $lOGi - for IT. maintenance
while the receipts from general git5 and subscription
amounted to S2jj The state contributed noimne. lh'H
dispcnsary has been In active existence Tor uilrA
years; irs district IL very large one ana Is dthsc!
populated. The dispcn-ary depends principally upon
voluntary contributions for Its support ana were 'rc
upon moro Liberal scale 1t could add to r "neNnth',
other things urgently needed; tho proper nursing ana
properly selected and Well cooked food 80 much require"
by poor patients.