Evening journal., 1896-10-01
THE TOMBS DOCTOR.
HIS OPPORTUNITIES FOR STUDYING
CRIMINAL NATURE.

and opium-Placebo For Those who
Feirn Illness.
While his duties are limited officially
to the care and medical treatment Of the
inmates Of the Tombs, or city prison,
DR.. o. J. Ward undoubtedly has one Of
the most interesting fields Of professional
practice and study. 1t extends among
class of patients which, taken all in
all, are hardly to be duplicated any
where else
1t was not to dilate on the valuable
opportunities to science presented to the
city prison physician. for the making Of
a study or speciality Of criminology in
his calling, however, that visited Dr.
Ward recently, but 50 ascertain from
him some Of the more interesting details
of his work and experience. found
him evidently about 90 years old, with
pleasant and kindly features. When he
spoke, he expressed himself meditatively
and to tho point. His words were we'll
weighed, and there could be no miscon-
STRUNG his meaning.
"Oh, there is no doubt Of the Tombs
being fine place to make study in
the line Of oriminology, " said DIR. Ward
when first broached the subject Of my
visit and alluded TO the field open in
this line. 1.-THE material is here, and the
opportunities for observation are unlim-
tied. "
In answer to my question as to the
physical condition Of the prisoners at
the Tombs and their ailments the ply
sician replied:
"About 70 per cent of all that come
in here suffer from some gastric and
nervous troubles, the results of dissipa-
tion. Thirty five per cent of these are or
have beon addicted TO the opium or
morphine habit After these opiate VIC
Tins havo been here short while and
their access to their favorite drug cut
off their sufferings become pitiable to
a degree.
Il have had patients here of this
class, he continued, "to whom l had
to administer as high as 30 grains of
morphine in one day to save their lives
This dose would be sufficient to kill
about five ordinary persons not accus-
toned to the drug"
That victims to the opium and NOR
phine habits should furnish as many as
80 out of every 100 criminals landing
in the city prison, when the police and
other authorities of the city are pro-
claiming that the open sale or use. of
these drugs has been entirely suppressed
or stamped out, somewhat surprised
me, and / asked Dr. Ward whence this
particular class of prisUnuIs same from.
"The alcoholic patients are prin-
cipally from the upper section of the
city, but tho morphine or opium vic
Tins, as a rule, all come from the lower
/ part of the city," he replied. "Ono of
the most pitiable subjects Of the opium
habit that came here was George Apo,
| the green goods operator, who is the son
of Quimbo Appo, the Chinese murderer.
| Apo testified before the Lexow COM
mittee against McNally, the king of
| the green goods men. Apo had not
been in the Tombs without his opium
FOR over a few days when the want of
| the drug began to assert itself on his
entire system. His means and groans at
night fairly kept awake ard annoyed
| all the prisoners in the other cells ON
| the same corridor -
One curious feature, from a medical
standpoint, about the Tombs prisoners
is that they almost Immediately become
seized with the impression that they
are suffering from all sorts Of ailments
and want treatment They ruminate
over their old complaints and shout for
the doctor, whereas if they were at
home they would never think of need
ing medical attendance
With the habitual criminal or "re-
peaters" and ''revolvers, as they arc
called, this is not the case. These know
the regulations Of the prison and under
stand that tho least troublesome way to
get along is TO cause as little annoyance
as possible. 1t is remarkable also to no
tice how newcomers to the city prison
quite readily become reconciled to the
surroundings. The first day they appar-
emily feel their degradation, but in q
few days it is wonderful to behold
them, laughing and joking about their
| prodicaments
Equally remarkable is the way the
newcomers, or at least those committed
for petty offcnses, will take to lionizing
and looking up to those committed for
the higher grades Of crime, such as
murder and bank robbery.
"a class Of people who are great al
feigning illness are those who come
down here from the workhouse on
Blackwell's island, said DIR. Ward fur.
ther. ''As soon as / hear Of these
complaining and find them in a normal
condition / tell them they require nc
medicine, and if they take any it will
do them more harm than good. If they
are persistent after my examination OF
advice, why. give them prescription
calling for placebo, which is really
something in the name of a medicine
only, but in reality composed of pills Of
common bread or colored water Thi:
placebO acts like a charm in these cases,
for when go my rounds and ask the
placebo patients how they feel after tax
ing this medicine they declare the rem.