The Newtown bee. (Newtown, Conn.) 1877-current, 1898-01-28

To DR. Fredt rick Holme Wiggin of New
York, one of the famous ply sicians of
the metropolis (wbo, If we mistake
not, has a summer home in Litchfleld),
we are indebted for copy Of pamphlet
issued by him in 1.-THE abuse Of medical
charity" 1t is intere sting reading, as
the following quotations will show:
DR. George F. Shrady of New York, in
the course OF an elaborate and instructive
article, entitled "a Propagation of Pau
perism: The Dispensary," published in
The Forum for June, describes the scene
which may be witne ssed daily at the in
ssitutlon to which he has given the sobIi-
quet of ''the diamond dispenssry." BE
says:
The reception.room held about 200 at a
time; nobody was turned away; fully 80 per
cent. OF the applicants were well dressed, and
| 10 per cent. were finely dressed. Three WON
en- wore fur coats that had not been handed
down from somebody else. There was at
tractive display OF fiUe millinery, and the
men, more than half OF them, bore no evt
dences OF poverty. But all obtained free
| treatment supposed to be given to paupers
poor persons. Such instances as this follow
| ing carry with them their own moral. Dur
| ing the examination of a dispensary patien
/ q roll of bills dropped from her pocket anr
| the doctor picked 1t up and remarked mad
/ am, this Is a free dispensary, and as you are
| able to pay tee for medical advice ! mus
| decline to treat you here. "Well," replied thu
| woman, "that money is tor something else
| you are paid by the city and must prescribe
| for me-" On being assured that the docto
| received no salary from any source, the pa
| tient became indignant, and protested tina
| she was entitled to attention equally with tn
lady who had preceded her, and from whom
/ she had rented house a week before.
In an article, entitled From Hin
That Hath Not; or, How the Rich Rol
the Poor by Getting Medicine and Treat
ment at Charity Dispensaries, /" by VIM
fred Black, in the New York Journal O
July II, 1897, is was stated:
I saw well-dressed and well-fed wome
lcrowding the wretched suffering of povert
from the door. The same observer. upO
asking one of the weIl-dressed woman VIII
she frequented q place intended only 70
the relief OF poor persons, received tn
reply: alt other ople get medicines 70
nothing, guess l can" Another reply to
similar question addressed to prosperor
looking girl. was "spend money Ior doctor
when / can buy ribbons with it? Well,
: guess notW And again, a smart, prOsperor
business woman's answer as to why she can
for free treatment, was faint widow wit
u child to support"
Another physician, writing on thl
subject in the New York Evening Pcs
said:
And there Is another side to the story ais
The tree dispensaries, which are such worth
charities in theory have, through sever
, causes, become dangerous menaces, not on
to us, but to society i'll general; they absOlut
ly encourage begging and dependence {
/ charity. People who can well afford to pr
l., | LOT LnelF LrehLm nIS anu Iof meulclhesI III
/ become 80 hardened that they will stand
= line to receive their drugs for nothing; thu
Y will be indignant If It is suggested to the
that doctors cannot afford to give them a
for nothing any more than any other class
men. 1t seems to them that we are employ
by the city to help them, and in many cas-
they are not even grateful. Think of dr.
goods man who would be compelled to opt
| his doors to a trade, and devote sometimes
'' day to dispensing his goods to them-even
. the goods were paid tor, his time would
y lost. Where is the justice in making d
= tinction between the doctor and the mt
chant?