The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-07-15


come members OF that class of individuals
known as "bums," some from their actual
inability for earning respectable liyell-
hood, and others who never were anything
else. Specialists have strange but doubt
less correct opinion that the tramp" who
wears himself out in low life Is apt to con-
tract the same diseases as the heavy swells
In high life. Thus. the poor diseased vic
Tins who would die without treatment
become subjects Of great respect and some-
times OF affectionats attention.
In this city, as well IS in London, Paris,
Berlin and Vienna, there is a thriving mar
Set for the possessors of curious maladies,
and a place in this city, known to the
initiated few, where those willing to give
themselves up to the justice of the surgeons
scalpel, can be found. Once within the por-
tails of this secret exchange and the dying
subjects Of disease become as stock in the
cattle markets. Doctors will buy the priv
lege OF investigating their maladies without
an idea OF operating themselves, but to
make large bonus by selling them to some
other medical "brokers" who are making q
speciality of their respective diseases.
THE MOST ACTIVE BROKERS.
Many young struggling doctors make II q
part Of their profession to hunt up 10 the
dispensaries and on the streets these suffer
ers aud deal with them as brokers do with
produce.
OF course the most obvious customers are
the most eminent specialists connected with
either some Of the large hospitals, or who
have their own private hospitals in which
to pursue scientific study apart from their
fellow workers and out of reach of the law
The majority OF them are clinical professors
who are always anxious to show rare forms
OF diseases to few of the students In their
classes who are able to subscribe an extra
f..r. 81 - Il
over the body OF a subject dying Of some
new infliction. II the professor pays
$1,000 for such q subject he frequently
makes several thousands on the deal. In
cases where the subjects are purchased for
clinical purposes their value is hinged on the
value of exploring III the seat of disease and
demonstrating over it in the presence of the
students. But when such sales are effected,
the victim, who is at once taken from a life
OF pain and misery, becomes an object for
the enjoyment OF the most cordial blessings;
nothing is too good for him. He is among
other good things, assured that If he dies
and leaves his body for further and unlim-
tied investigation, his estate will be paid q
much higher bonus for that privilege, as
such an autopsy is very unusual. The sur
geon who is left this liberty we'll knows its
value in promoting his fame.
LITTLE MEDICAL DISCOVERY.
ID might be we'll to say here. that in
several cases where the subjects have died,
as they most frequently do, their relatives
have refused to allow the "valuable au-
topsy,h which is the dissection OF the entire
body, and fairly blackmail the surgeons.
The writer recalls one of these instances at
which he was surprised to see the professor,
who had bought the right Of investigation
and whose operative study caused death,
appear unooncerned when the wife of the
subject decided that her husband had been
butchered by him, and that he should be
buried in the potters' field rather than have
Those butchers lay a knife to his dead
CORPSE q
The poor mans body was taken away
from the professors private hospital, and
the woman triutnphed tnat she had got it
out Of his reach, but a few DAYS later the
writer, who has made study of surgery,
received notice from the same, professor
stating that an autopsy. of remarkable in
terest and value to students and young
doctors would be made at the College OF
Physicians and Surgeons. He was present
at the stated time and was amazed TO see
laid on disseotiug table the very same
identical form this woman had denied
permission to perform the autopsy
upon and believed laid at rest
little investigation proved that 1t was no
wonder that the professor was cool about
his fingers. Having Investigated and dis
covered that she was unable to bury it in a
private plot, and the law allowing all bodies
left for burial in the potter's field
for the use of surgical science, he was only
too happy that it didn't cost himr thou
sand or more. Thus the poor wife of the
poor subject gave up what would have been
small fortune to her without changing the
plan Of the surgeon.
THE CARE OF THE SUBJECTS.
The incomes Of moneyed kings could not
buy the treatment these, poor individuals
receive. Though science is, It must be con-
fessed, the feature pictured ON the minds OF
the surgeons, a consequence of this is tina.
the subjects must be handled tenderlY or
their study is void. Then not only do the
surgeons lose their money, but also the
patients priceless value as a subject for
investigation.
1t is positively wrong to suppose these
subjects always die when, with their hor-
rible combinations of different diseases.
they place their lives in the hands OF the
specialists, for the browning feature of all
is that IL there is possible cure within the
reach Of human skill 1t Is the DOCTORS ad-
vantage and advertisement to effect it.
Most Of the sub iects have combinations or
diseases for which no cure Is known. There
fore when the surgeons buy them to expert
ment on they are dying and the operator
is the only one who comes to them with
the slightsst hope. His daring but
scientific attempts frequently end in
triumph. 1t is q mistaken idea that sur
geons do their best to shorten these lives
Death is what they fight against. But some
cases are so utterly hopeless that it is Of lit
tie matter whether they die of disease or of
heroic treatment for his cure. If they re-
cover they are introduced at the medical
and surgical society congresses, where they
| are objects OF great respect
The regular scale of prices paid to the
brokers for more common diseases than the
one above are: For case Of ovarotomy,
from $50 to $50; skin diseases, from $40 to
800; tumor Of the brain or spinal cord,
| 500 to $500, according to the cir UNI
stances, and for nerve diseases. $40 to $500.
The subjects are delivered to the purchasers
| in a coupe, free of charge.
1t is a remarkable fact that some Of these
wretched specimens of humanity survive
the knife and regain their health. In many
cases of this kind the surgeons who profit by
| their study have been known to set them
up in business, and they become respectable
| citizens.