The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1896-11-04
THE TOMBS DOCTOR.

THE TOMBS DOCTOR.
HIS OPPORTUNITIES FOR STUDYING
CRIMINAL NATURE.
Most of His Patients Suffer From the Eff
fects Of Diss.pation-victims of Morphine
and Opium-Placebo For Those Who
Feien Illness.
While his duties are limited officially
10 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. It extends among a
class of patients which. taken all in
all, are hardly to be duplicated any
where else.
twas not to dilate on the valuable
opportunities to science presented to the
city prison physician for the making Of
study or speciality Of criminology in
his calling, however; that visited DR..
yard recently, but to ascertain from
him some of the more interesting details
Of his work and experience. I found
him evidently about 55 years old, with
pleasant and kindly features. When he
spoke, he expressed himself meditatively
and to the point. His words were we'll
weighed, and there could be no miscon-
strung his meaning.
cob, there is no doubt Of the Tombs
being a fine place to make a study in
the line Of criminology, " said Dr.. Ward
when I first broached the subject Of my
visit and alluded to the field open in
this line. ssThe 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:
ssAbout 75 per cent Of all that come
Z in here suffer from some gastric and
nervous troubles, the results of dissipa-
tion. Thirty-fve per cent Of these are or
have been addicted to the opium or
morphine habit. After these oplate vic
TINS have been here q short while and
their access to their favorite drug cut
off their sufferings become pitiable to
q degree.
: .sI have had patients here of this
class, . he continued. '3to whom I had
to administer as high as 80 grains of
morphine in one day to save their lives
This dose would be sufficient to kill
aboat Eve ordinary persons not accus-
toned. to the drug"
That victims to the opium and NOR
phine habits should furnish as many as
So 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 prisoners came from.
The alcoholic patients are prin-
cipally from the upper section of the
city, but the morphine or opium VIC
tins, as a rule, ,,aIl come from the lower
part of the city," he replied. Zone 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.
Appo testified before the Lexow COM
mittee against McNally, the king of
the green goods men. Apo had not
been N 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 moans and groans at
night fairly kept awake and annoyed
all the prisoners in the other cells en-
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 ere
peaters'' and '<revolvers, as they are
called, this is not the case. These know
the regulations Of the prison and under
stand that the least troublesome way to
get along is to cause as little annoyance
as possible It 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 a
few days it is wonderful to behold
them, laughing and joking about their
predicaments.
Eduallv remarkable is the way the