The Globe-republican., 1893-12-15
TOuTiNe 49,. DOCTORS.


Runners of Quarantine Drumming U
Trade and Earning Big Money.
1t will surprise many people to learn
that there are physicians practicing in
New York city who hire runners tc
solicit business from strangers coming
here. The custom prevails chiefly
among people coming in by sea. DIR.
Talmage. at quarantine. recently said
There are runners for New York doc
tors who board incoming ships as regu
larly as quarantine officers board them.
know OF two who live down here.
don't know what they make. but
should not be surprised to learn that
they receive as high as four thousand
dollars or five thousand dollars year
in commissions. Some of them, have
heard, get as much as half the fees
turned in to the medical man. / hear
that the doctors make very good
thing of it. and | know of one who
recently retired on a fortune of seven.
ty-five thousand dollars or one hun
dred thousand dollars. The meth
cd of operation is very sim
pie. When a foreign ship comes in,
to port, whose crew were shipped
abroad for the voyage. the captain. OF
whoever hires them, is responsible for
their medical care when sick To meet
this emergency there are what are
called the wharf doctors. The wharf
doctor, for a certain fixed price. guar
antees to take medical charge of the
crew while the ship is in port. If the
sailors fall i'll of ordinary diseases they
treat them on board while the vessel
lies at her dock or is anchored in the
bay. If the sailor requires special at
teution. which can not be given on
shipboard, the wharf doctor sends him
to hospital and pays the charges. Tes
what hospital, or what relations the
doctors have with these hospitals, am
nnab to say. OF course all this ap.
plies to diseases such as are not taken
charge of by quarantine authority"
1t is by these wharf doctors that the
runners are employed. The moment
ship comes in they swarm out to hei
on tugs and rowboats like SO many
sailor clearinghouse touts, and en-
deavor to strike a bargain with the cap
tain. Those who have been long in the
business of course have wide acquain
lance among sea captains. and have
their regular customers. With the cap.
tains who have no acquaintance among
the runners it is usually a case of first
come first served. This naturally
makes competition very keen. and
there are now and then some lively
races. Efforts to underbid are as lively
1n off nc f,< rof .,ff 1,,.< .<,f 1,o
captain first. Not very long ago there
was a sharp cut in medical rates
swing to the introduction into
the field of a new and very ac-
tive runner. who had the advantage
of long semi-amphibious life at the
NarrOws, and who consequently had
long list of acquaintance among sea
captains He not only began get
ting there first, but he knocked a
heavy margin off existing rates. Ships
that had been doctored at fifteen dol.
lars head for stay of ordinary
length in port found that they could
get the same service under the new
conditions for ten dollars That is
about the existing state of the wharf
doctor market at present. Still they
make money. Such drugs as they
have to serve out. or pretend to serve
out. to poor: Jack while he is in port.
are not the highest priced articles OF
the kind, and besides, there is always
the chance of there being no sick sail
ors on board ship to look after. In
such case the wharf doctor simply pays
his runner his commission and pockets
what is left-N. Y. World.