New-York tribune., 1905-12-18
IMMIGRANTS PATCHED Up.
TR4CHOM4 GETTING IN.
Foreign Doctors Make Undesirable
Aliens AbLe TO Enter.

immigration service of the United States, who
recently returned from abroad. DR.. Ffshberg
spent several months in the Old World, visiting
the European terminals of the big transatlantic
steamship lines and making a special study of
the shipping OF Russian immigrants across the
German frontier Inasmuch as a tremendous
increase in the immigration of Russian Jews to
this country is under way Just now, DR.. Fish
berg's observations are of special Importance be-
cause OF their timeliness Most Of the things
which the doctor abroad are incorporated
"a 8 report which ne made to the Commissioner
General Of Immigration at Washington DR..
FishDerg said yesterday at his homa, No. 10
West 115th-st:
The curing of diseased aliens for admission
20 the United States has become tremendous
industry abroad RamificationS OF the business
may be found at Liverpool, London, Southamp-
ton Marseilles and at various frontier cities OF
Russia and Austria-Hungary. II these cities
have personally visited boarding houses and
so-cailed hospitals" where immigrants suffer-
ing from trachopa in its most advanced stages
were being treated that they might pass inspec-
ton and enter the United States.
TTaci.ona is disease Of the eye of which
America has a special horror. When trans
planted 70 the tenement regions OF New-York
City IL spreads rapidly and becomes almost as
YiTuIcpt as in the Orient BY the New-York
Boar3 Of Health il is especially dreaded and
ire authorities at the various immigration ports
Of this country are trying with might and main
10 keep il out
assumed remarkable dimensions. Here most or
the Immigrants FROM the Orient. from Syria Ar
reaia and neighboring countries come on their
way To the United States. Most of the immi-
grants report 10 man by the name OF Anton
Fares, who refers them certain boarding
houses Later they are sent to DR.. G. ReynauC.
No. 20 Boulevarde d'Athenee for examination.
Those who are found free from contagious dis
ease receive tickets and are at. once shipped to
I1avre. But soon one of these Orientals is
discovered to have trachoma, Fares takes hold
If the unfortunate Immigrant and says:
There only two ways open to you. You
can either go by way OF St Nazaire to Mexico,
where have agents TO conduct you across the
frontier into the United States, or you can go to
a doctor here and get cured Now, the first
plan is expensive and dangerous, but the doc
tor is very successful"
OF course the poor fellow goes to the doctor,
who by the way, does a fiourishing business.
! met more than one hundred immigrants every
day I visited the clinic The charge is one
franc for each treatment. and some Of these
unfortunate patients have told that they
have been under the doctors care for more
than two months. When cured they are gen
orally sent to Havre and then shipped to New
York. The treatment is frequently continued
until the immigrants purse is all but eInptled
This business Is used also TO heece the neaIthy
Oriental Fares has a practice, which oeheVe,
is peculiar to himself, of having immigrants
treated for trachoma who have no trachoma at
all. These generally have money, and are re-
ferred by Fares to the doctor who tells them
they have trachoma, bat that IL is curable one |
franc q day is charged for the treatment, three !
or four for board and lodging and this IS kept |
TicJira is charged more than the usual price for |
a steamship ticket Such individuals are. as a /
rule never deported for eye disease, and ac- |
COrdingly become excellent advertisements loi
This man Fares is well known to the French
authorities. and has repeatedly been under
charges for cheating immigrants he mas a |
newspaper to boom his business, which has g. |
wide circulation in Syria. He ships from forty /
10 fifty immigrants week, and stops at moth |
ing in dealing with them.
The Russian Hebrew comes to America chiefly |
by way Of Germany, either sailing directly from |
Bremen or Hamburg, going to England ana |
embarking from q British port. Little = done |
at Bremen or Hamburg TO patch UP immigrants.
but at the stations along the Russian and Aus
TRAN borders the practice is common nave
personally met more than fifty tracsomaIouS
immigrants in a hospital at Thorn on the Rus
sian Polish border. Health certificates nave
been refused all Of them by the steamship physl- |
clans, who told them to go home. When they
said however, that they had money enough LOT
cure" they sent to a hospital run by |
the daughter of a steamship agent. Some of the
patients told me they had stayed there Tor Two
months Few are cured" in one month. They
pay three marks day for the use of the hospl-
tai and two marks for medical treatment; 81 -
q day in all. Similar Hospitals found at
other control stations the border, where Rus
sian immigrants are held up.
In most cases the so-called cure" is only
temporary. Immediately after the treatment
the immigrants eyes lose their redness, the in
famr72ton Of the eyelids disappears, and tears
cease to flow. Sometimes the cure will last
again affected for weeks
When Russian Jew who has undergone such
treatment passes the inspection Of the German
official at tie border he is frequently sent TO
New-York. whether he wants to go or not He
IS regarded as the legitimate prey Of certain
Steamship companies For example. have
heard such talk this at the border stations:
Agent-Where are you going?
Immigrant-To England.
Agent-You are a liar; you are going to
America Show me how much money you've
go;-
the agent takes, handing back through ticket |
10 New-York. and the change, in German
money. Of course. the agent gets his commits
slon from the steamship company. II an 1nn1nl-
grant fears that his eyes viii hurt him again he
buys a second class ticket. and so escapes in
spection by the steamship physician at Bremen
or Hamburg I have often heard steamship
agents on the border advise diseased immi-
grants TO take a second class passage, which,
ahey say, viii get them through safely
other Russian immigrants. fearing deporta-
tion at Nev-YoTE manage to get to England,
and attend eye clinics at Liverpool and London
Here they told that Ellis Island will GER
lainly catch them; but If they go to Boston or
Philadelphia they can land Some however. go
TO Canada, hoping reach the United States
that way. One Liverpool boarding house is
Kept by Andrew Barber, at No Kent-st- Bar
Der told me ne could get anybody through he
said the steamship doctors examine the nrSt
cases thoroughly. but let the last few through
easy"
For the purpose Of appearing in good shape
al al Ellis Island, the American port, and evading
The inspectors, inning -ants with trachoma fre-
euenty use drug called adrenalne. This I'M
,,neoiately stops the Inflammation OF the eyelos
py causing local anemia- They carry the stun
n a vial secreted in their clothes As its effect
Soon wears of immigrants have to repeat the
Treatment again and again on the sly.
The use OF adrenaline however. does not al
ways fool the inspectors, and believe that ar
Ellis Island these takers are generally caught
Inc drug gives the eye certain paleness WHICH
oy an experienced Inspector may be detected-
DR.. F1shberg emphasized tie fact that Com
missioner Watchorn ct Ellis Island, was dong
al in his power to catch "doctored" aliens lie
said that in his opinion. better work could not
be done Vet he said Ellis Island should not