Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-09-03
BLACKwELL's ISLAND ARISES
had Sanitary Condition of the Prison
Results in Loathsome Diseases,

NEW YORK, Sept 3-1he Eues,ng Sun TODAY,
as result Of ITS investigation prints a long
expose OF the 'abuses and announcement in
the BlackwelIs Island penitentisry. the con-
duct of which, il states. is a disgrace TO n CIV
lllzed community. This statement il should
De understood, applies more particularly to tire
sanitary management of the institution The
general conduct of the prison is fairly good.
"hat the sanitary state of affairs is, however
may De judged from the fact that no longer
ago than last April the prison was swept by
scourage OF scuryy which nothing short OF al
most criminal negligence could have brought
on At one time not less than between thirty
and forty convicts were down with the disease,
and this by no means represents the number
who were actually afflicted There is A dread
among the prison convicts of going TO the
prison hospital, which keeps many who are in
need OF medical Treatment from applying for
II. during the scurvy epidemic last spring it
Kept at least one man from revealing his illness
and he suffered in silence aud finally faced
death itself without telling anybody that he
was a sick man. He was found one morning i'm
hIs cell stone dead, and the disease which
cause ms death was scurvy. There are still
some casesd of scurvy left, but they are mild
and the disease in its epidemic form has disap-
peared
The Sun says that the hospital is crowded
and the air OF the room foul In the mems
ward the water closet is right ont in the room
In TACT, from some of the beds. and with not
even so much as a screen around it. Further
than this the mattresses on the beds are foul
with dirt and the sheets and pillow cases primy
and unwholesome. But il Is in the hospital
attendance that the abuse and neglect are
worst. In this respect state Of affairs exist
which is little short of criminal The attend
ants are all convicts There is not single
trained nurse or one who knows ANYTHING
whatever about care ng for the sick, unless by
ehance there happens to be some criminal who
has had little experience that way. The
worst feature of this is that il falls TO the lot
OF one OF these ignorant criminals 10 handle all
drugs and measure out and deal out all the
doses OF medicine which the doctors prescribe
An instance of the working of this system oc-
Cured week ago last Sunday. An old
man named Hamilton was very i'll of
dysentery and when Jockey Sullivan
turned the drug wheel of fortune there fell out
for Hamilton a dose OF a strong cathartic
Poor Hamilton died ON the following Tuesday
night. The hospital doctor seemed TO think
his death was quite curious circumstance for
they cut him up IN the interest of science TO
see what was the matter with him. That all of
the doctors are not all indifferent 20 the abuses
is evident, for DIR. Farwell of the staff of resi-
dent physicians, has complained strongly to
Warden Pillsbury, and has even gone SO far as
to give formal notice that he positively declines
to take any responsibility for the sick as long as
the present system Of management continues.
4 ne luiineulate cause OF Dr. farwelIe taking
this vigorous stand was the outrage in the case
of Hamilton. Besides the outrage that is daily
perpetrated in the administration of medicines
TO sick prisoners the sick do not get the food
which the doctors order for them and which
their condition demands. One reason for thn
is that the convict attendants calmly devour
the extra diet diet for the sick, whom they
keep from informing ON them by various ways
of terrorizing, which are easily within the
hands Of well person who has charge Of Q
person who is helpless.