National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1884-06-17
Incidents Of "Visiting Day" at The Emer-
genCy Hospital
A Room Where Human Wretehedness
Enters Twice Each Week.
The Charity Which Binds Up the Wounds and
Cures tho Ills Of the Poor
Wealthy Patients who Accept Charity
Patients with Imaginary Ailments.

Hospital and Central Dispensary on Tenth |
street yesterday afternoon. 1t was visiting |
day for poor patients, and poverty and sick
ness-terrible companions--walked into tho |
building arm.in.arm. my name is William |
Brown, sah" said tho boy in reply to IN
interrogatory by DIR. John j. Markriter, tho
resident physician. IL was playing wild some
boys and fell down do stone stops inter do
cellar" He removed the rag from his head
and disclosed a deep cut about three inches
long. DIR. Markritor gave him red card
and sent him upstairs to the department Of
surgery for treatment,
The doctor tapped the call-boll on hisdesk,
and an usher brought in the next patient,
another colored boy attended by his father.
They had como all the way from Lincoln
vile, In the county, in dilapidated vehicle,
drawn by q horse, who, to all appearances,
was on terms of perfect intimacy with some
big and unweildy pillow.
dis boy OBJ mine is in mighty bad way"
began the father, IAN Use afraid he's gwino
for to lose his voice."
"Tbats bad" said the physician, putting
an instrument into the boys mouth in order
to see down his throat.
The sight of tho gistening instrument
caused the boy to below Justify, and the
father remarked in loud but reassuring
tone, Mus hab 1t dun. Mus hab it dun.
You is bound to bear all dem pains or you'll
die, suab, cus you is In bad way. The case
was assigned to the childron's department
1t was found to be q rare and interesting
case OF inflammation Of the tongue.
The next visitor was q colored woman with
n pound of superhuous flesh hanging to her
right ear, and half pound hanging to the
other.
"Those are daisy tumors," said the doctor.
''She had the larger one cut Off before the war
and 1t has returned with interest. She is
going to have thom taken off again, but they
will continue to return, growing larger each
time. AS the woman and her tumors disap-
Deared through the door n very big and very
black woman entered, She carried a very
puny and very ghtcomplexioned in fam in her
arms. She said the child's name was Gabrielle,
and when DIR. Markriter asked her what allied
the infant she replied, "She is 70 teen months
old. Her teeth and stummick trubbles her
an besides Idat she's got deep cold on de
chess"
The doctor examined tho baby and said |:
"Take Gabrielle upstairs to the children's
department., and in tho future refrain from
feeding her on Irish potatoes until she is old
enough to stand such food"
Turning to the reporter he said "Some-
times babies only few months old are
brought here that have been fed on stuff that
would mako the digestive organs of strong
man revolt have seen infants here during
the cucumber and melon season, with
wrinkled faces and bleared eyes, suffering
from cholera infantum. They looked like
wee little old men, and were evidently suffer-
ing the agonies of hades. The trouble is that
their mothers, either through ignorance or
carelessness, fed them on greens and other
cholera producing stuff"
The next caller was u colored woman with
shiny black face, relieved by bright red
bandana handkerchief tied about her head.
In answer to the question, How old are
you 2" she replied, "Deed don't know, sab,
but was teen years old at do time OBJ do
John Brown raid ut Harper's Ferry" Dur
ing all these lonp years she had evidently
never had occasion before to refer to her age,
but she remembered that her mistress told
her that she was fourteen when John Brown
made his raid.
The monotony of black faces was broken
at this point by tho entrance of rather
pretty and we'll dressed young white woman
She spoke in musical voice and after an.
swering tho usual questions was sent up
stairs to the female department.. She was
succeeded in the patients chair by an elderly
white woman in n pea green suit and wear
ing massive pair OF antique spectacles.
Sho told the doctor that her ailment was
"misery in the head and great disorder in
the chest" She was also sent to the female
department.
One of the saddest cases was a thin, half.
starved. looking molatto boy in tho last
stages of consumption. His clothing was tat.
tered and dirty and his face was pallid and
pinched by hunger and exposure. He had
been sleeping about in fields and stables aud
was actually dying on his feet.
Another pitiful case was the little son of O
poor white widow, who was compelled t.
walk on the upper portion of his right foot
on account of being club-footed. An opera.
tion was performed ON tho affected member
and the boy is now doing well. The mother
was too poor to purchase tho necessary up
planes, and tho kind.hearted physician.
procured them for her at greatly reduced
rates.
The rear waiting room was n picture o.
distress. Ii was occupied by a score or more
OF colored women and children. Some o.
them had crying babies in their arms. 9th
ers were moaning and swaying their bodies
backward aud forward. Some wore blood,
bandages, or had their arms in slings. All o
them were sick and were waiting their turf
to see tho attending physicians. Many o
those who call for treatment are hypochon
driacs, suffering with all kinds of imaginary
disorders These are generally supplied will
bottle of colorod water or dose of bleaC
pills. Strange to say, however, such person
are generally the most difficult to cure
Another Objectionable class is that of sicl
'beats," who can afford to pay for treatment
but who prefer to take advantage of this Chart,
establishment, and beat their way rs they
do when they arc not sick. A member o
this fraternity called at the hospital yester
day. He wore an expensive suit of clothing
Ornamented by heavy gold chain, with /
costly gold watch attached to it. He wa
informed that medical treatment would COS
him the regular rates" This announce
ment seemed to stagger the youth, who left
probably preferring to remain sick ratho
than to pay anything to DO cured. Anothe
beat was an old Irish woman, who is known
TO be the owner of two rows of dwelling
houses and u store in West Washington. Sh
wore torn and greasy dress for the occasion
but the physicians happened to know her
and the costume did not got her few cents
worth of free medicine.
The patients in waiting in roar room ar
summoned into Dr. Markrters office, one q
time, by the tap of his call bell, He OK
amines the case quickly and assigns tho part
TO one Of the six services by giving them
colored service card, as follows Rod card
surgery, DIR. w. q. BrsGoo in charge; gree
card, diseases Of women, DIR. III. IL. Barker
purple card, nervous and general diseases
DIR, j. Walter; pink card diseases of children
DIR, G. J.. Magruder blue card, diseases of tn
eye and ear, Or. Swan NJ, Burnett; yello'
card, diseases of the throat and chest ID
Carroll Morgan. These services occup,
upper rooms in tho largo hospital building O
416 Tenth street. The lower floors are use
as waiting rooms, Office of DIR. Markriter an
his assistant, DR.. #, A. Taylor, and for Tn
dispensing of medicine in the rear Each q
the above departments holds two service