The Wichita daily eagle., 1893-12-01
ToUTING FOR DOCTORS.


Runners Of Quarantine Drumming On
Trade and Earning Big Money.
/ It will surprise many people to learn
that there are physicians practicing in
New York city who hire runners to
solicit business from strangers coming
here. The custom prevails chiefly
among people coming in by sea- DR.
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. l
don't know what they make, but /
should not be surprised to learn that
they receive as high as four thousand
dollars or Ave thousand dollars a wear
in commissions. Some of them, have
heard, get as much as half the fees
turned in to the medical man. l hear
that the doctors make a very good
thing OF it, and l know Of one who
recently retired on fortune of seven
ty-fve Thousand dollars or one hum
dred thousand dollars. The meth
od of operation is very SIM
pie. When a foreign ship comes in
to port, whose crew were shipped
abroad for the voyage, the captain or
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 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. To
what hospital, or what relations the
doctors have with these hospitals, am
unable 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 tho
runners are employed. The moment a
ship comes in they swarm out to her
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 a wide acouain-
their regular customers. With the cap
tains who have no acquaintance among
the runners it is usually 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
as are the efforts to get at the ear of the
captain first. Not very long ago there
was a sharp cut in medical rates
owing to the introduction into
the field Of 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 acquaintances among sea
captains. He not only began get
ting there first, but he knocked
heavy margin off existing rates Ships
that had been doctored at fifteen dol
lars a 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.