The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1905-09-28
PATCHING UP ENIGRANTS
Making Them Ready to Pass
American Inspectors
IGNORANT ARE ROBBED

Quack Doctors and Foreign Steam
ship Companies Said to Work To-
gether--NIany Sick Foreigners
Admittcd-Naples Forbids Dis
eased Emigrants Embarking.
The frauds and deceptions prac-
ed by the foreign steamship com
MES In "doctorlng" diseased emil
gnts to get them in shape to pass
"a medical inspection of the United
8tes immigration authorities at
orts in this country are exposed in
Especial report received by Commits
sicner General of Immigration Sar-
gent. Some astonishing revelations
are made in the report, which indi-
Gates that the business of patching
up disease affected aliens bound for
our shores amounts to science in
many European seaport cities.
The report was made by Maurice
Fishberg, a special agent in the I'M
migration service.
Mr.. Fishberg found that 1t is the
custom of nearly all the foreign
otttbAliNblp tOll jttlllto W iiCl VI Oilli-
grants in large boarding houses at
the ports of embarkation, where they
are "doctored" and put into condi-
ton to pass the medical inspectors in
this country. The steamship COM
panies have learned that il is not
safe to ship to this country an alien
bearing plain evidences of contagious
disease. The emigrants are rounded
up at boarding houses which are con-
Quoted by agents Of the various
steamship lines. The day before the
steamer sails the ships surgeon will
visit the emigrants and examine
them. One such place visited by Mr..
Fishberg contained fifty emigrants,
mostly Armenians, Italians and
Greeks, who had been refused trans
portation to continental ports. The
steamship agents boasted that they
could get the men into the United
States, despite the fact that they had
been rejected in Europe. The ships
surgeon, In his particular case, made
only pretense of an examination.
Right under the eyes of the special
agent he passed two cases of de-
formity of the hands, case OF small
pox, case of locomotor ataxia and
one of paralysis.
Special Agent Fishberg reports
that In Marseilles the treatment of
trachoma by fraudulent pra, ;itioners
has assumed remarkable proportions
lost of the emigrants from the
lent, from Syria and Armenia, es-
acially, on their way to the United
states, stop at Marseilles where they
Ill into the hands of a notorious
uack. He bleeds them as long as
heir money lasts, under the pretence
of curing them of diseases, actual
and imaginary. The Oriental races
are especially prone to trachoma, and
the doctor" plies a profitable busi-
ness coaching" them for the eXami-
nation in the United States. The
French government has tried to run
this fake doctor out of the country,
but the steamship companies have
always been powerful enough to save
him from Punishment.
1t appears that the examination
which the ships physician makes is
OF the most cursory sort. No effort
is made to detect the presence of
favus, a loathsome disease of the
head. Most Of the emigrants are in
spected with their heads covered.
But the most dangerous disease
which our immigration authorities
have to guard against is trachoma,
an eye afiliction. By skllful treat
.ment the signs Of the disease may be
removed for few hours, but they
Will return as soon as the treatment
Is stopped. In London and Liver
pool the clinics Of the eye infirm-
aries, Mr.. Ftshberg reports, are daily
crowded with aliens who are being
treated for trachoma, expecting to
go to the United States as soon as
"cured."
One of the worst features of this
whole business. Mr.. Fishberg says,
Is the Drazen way which the steam
snip companies agents boast they
can set any kind of diseased person
into the United States. One agent
informed Mr.. Fishberg that he
would undertake to land in the Uni
tea states any alien no matter II the
emlgrant had been refused admis-
SION at continental ports and had
oeen rejected on arrival in the
United States. He openly boasted
That he had done this for aliens who
had been previously turned back
rom the shores of the United States. |
Mr.. Fishberg has come to the com
'iusion that Naples is the only port !
Ehere inspection is done conscien-
iously and honestly with the pur-
pose Of preventing diseased emf.
grants from reaching the United
States.
Mr., Fishberg recommends that
medical inspectors from our govern
nent be stationed at all foreign
ports to pass on the eligibility of
.migrants sailing for the United
States. He thinks this Is the only
hing that can effectively break up
The present method of "doctoring"
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