New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-07-18
VISITING TENEMENT-HOUSES
WITH A PHYSICIAN ON HIS ROUNDS.

Mi''l-hOCSES FROM WHICH THEY COME-EAGf.l;-
NESS TO GET EXCURSION TICKETS.
Tho fifty physicians who were sworn iii last We'd
nes,lay have been steadily III work visiting the ;cne
,ncnt-houscs and other ab0dcs of the poor i'll the
city. The districts vary in size according to the
worldly prosperity of the inhabitants. In the up
town districts of the city physician is able to
cover a large area but in most of the region below
liouson-st. many visits have to be made iii every
block.
A reporter Of TIE TRIBUNE accompanied DR.. Book
for some time in his visits to houses of poor people
between Rivngton and Division sts., east of the
Bowery. This part of the city is not as wretched as
fOme neighbOring vet few persons would care
to remain long in the streets. What strikes the
ticc first of all is the of children that covers
every stoop and compes the unaccustomed passer-by
to pick his way the pavemcEts with scrupulOus
care. Where do they come from ? is the question
that rises at in the visitors mind. The build
ings that line the streets quite unable pour
out such host of youngsters, and besides, many of
the front occupied by petty manufac-
turers.
The doctor was able to solve the problem. Come
with me" he said " and YOU will where they
come from" And he plunged into a narrow passage
way, upstairs and downstairs until he entered an
area-perhaps twenty feet square. Here strange
spectacle presented. Half a dozen ll-favorcd
and half clothed women vigorously scourng
the contents of wasl-.ub. carrying water, which
they used without discrimination, to mop the floor
or boil the pot. When the doctor first
startled the privacy of the enclosure thirty
children were counted in the area alone besides n
sprnklng of frowzy heads in the surrounding
windows. Many of the toddling infants were almost
naked, and al. old and young, were dirty beyond
description There was a hydraut in the middle of
the area, bnt the efficacy of water to cleanse the
skin seemed not to be understood, and the only use
aStride the handle and crowCd Justify at the stream
OF water that was running to waste. All the chill
deeently clad.
Are there any sick children here 2" inquired the
doctor, with a benevolent though feeble smile as
tho small occupants of the lofts, to which the eX-
element of the new arrival had now been commune
To swG ala e GrowG @Teady around him
armed woman Glowing her way through the
crowd. No: it died two days ago. But if you want
TO vaccinate EN-, there's plenty that's never been
vaccinated."
This was very common story wherever the doc
Tor stopped. lie did not vaccinate himself he said
hut if they would go to headquarters they could
have their children vaccinated without cost They
shook their heads ct the suggestion being evidently
too shiftess to walk far for the sake OF the litte
ones health Withall their squaIor and degradation
these people did not disconnected vet the abcct
misery of their condition moved the doctors com
passion. He drew out a handful of free excursion
tickets and asked one mother who was carving n
pinched and weazened nursing if she would ike 10
have a sail on The water The question redoubled
unknown process singled her own children out of
Inc mass, ana Pnshed them forward as
How many children have YOU nv good woman 80
he inquired of one of the most eager
Only ten, SIR she said that woman there has
fourteen, but some of mine have died"
only two OF yours have died" returned the
woman in question; you never had but twelve.
nty TO address their remarks to him. He could not
give them tickets for all their children, lie said, but
he would do rs much he could.
There plasterer from BROOKLYN WORKING
about the buildings who seemed possessed of fair
share OF common sense. lie had worked. he said -
great deal among the tenement houSes and tbe noo
pie were all pretty much alike None of them
seemed to understand the of water nor 10 he nj ali
troubled by the foul smells that pervaded the areas
Where he was thea working was one of the health.
lest parts of the city and he could not understand
people We're sick. He had worked in other
parts OF the city, however, where there sick
child IN almost every rOOm
Dr. Books visits were principally confined to the
rear houses which front upon closed areas as The
front houses ae generally occupied by persons of
some means. These interior areas are uniformly
hung with lines of clothes, and bestrewn with
buckets and barrels and many other things In one
place where the iuha btants seemed TO have same
notion of decency the doctor put the usual qucs-
1lon-Had the woman any children who were sick
i he woman SAID that her baby was sick but was
getting better.
Have you had PLY stefan ?" inquired the doctor
Yes we had a homOfatk physician.v
- Did his medicine do the baby good ~
"Well, don't know whether the ho,nof,fl, n;us
are good for much or not but the baby got letter
Yes, the homoiapt pills is dood," sped n
her mothers hand and poured out Sb Se 90 from
the little pills, which she swallowed with evident
The doctor, who is a staunch allopatbist bearod
upon the child with mild approval, and taking n
prescription blank from his pad, filled il ont and
gave il to the mother, after which me dstr;f,,tnd
some excursion tickets which had the ns,ai efHt
OF bringing all the inmates of the houses into thc
open area. ~ ~
Some of the younger children are very nrcttv and
IN the regular graduation from infancy TO TVoutb
which all these families present il is so,1e,rbot 10
pressing to mark the gradual hardening that comes
with advancing years. The mothers in their own
way seem TO love their children quite as much nc in
The higher walks OF Hfe leaving an observcrn Sonn
doubt whether to side with the philosophers who
assert that the natural affections are tho hest nr
OF life or with those who declare that thev ore 90
strong In brutes as in and therefore ,1rth,, &c
nttie esteem. Inc degree to which the tenement
houses are packed can be understood o1Iv when
seen: room supplied with stove a cunhoard q
few beds and chairs and table is capable of accom-
often few workinnne lodge there besides remind
ing one OF the man whose family occupied one cor
nef OF room III winch four other families were
iodged, ana VINO sald to his landlord, on being asked
now MS wuc ana children were getting along that
they would do very comfortably indeed if onlv fhe
family In the middle didn't take boarders.
lhere was an exhibition in another rear tenement
house, which would have provoked the indicnotion
OF Alfred Love and his Society of Universal Peace
Dr DOCK had Just written prescription for pretty
ENID, VINO was weeping i'll evident misery
Now will give you an excursion ticket to tho
seaside, he ventured W WIZ
On land sakes" exclaimed the woman; "here,
to a little girl the names of half-a-ozen inmates
VINO appeared IN due order with their broods Tho
doctor distributed some tickets. One womans
neaI' was so moved to gratitude by the kindness |
that she called pair of little three ear-old twins
aud said: Now George and Dickic, show the |
doctor how to fight " and she put one on each sido
of her knee. They were well trained for they ~ J
once began to brandish their small fists i'm each
Others faces not iniicting any noteworthy injuries
but showing very plainly the dcyeloplnent Of thn
Wariike spirit i'll their little minds
ne reports OF the physicians appointed for tle
nis,lieis uptown show, SO far, toleraby healthy
CONDITION, ana a comparatively small amount of
suffering. Probably the most crowded nd