The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-12-30
CURIOUS HOSPITAL
RUN BY CHINESE
Il is Open to Any Chinaman
Who is AiIing
ODD REMEDIES FOR SICK
Modest Institution on the Borders of
Chinatown-Some Strange Rites
for the Dying Are Prac-
ticed There.
ODD REMEDIES FOR SICK

Just beyond the western borders u
New York's Chinatown, half way be
tween Mott and Mulberry streets, On
Park street. facing the side door Of the
Church of the TRANSPORTATION, stands a
little old-fashioned two-story red brick
building. Across the front stretches the
sign, in large red Chinese characters,
Chung Wah Kong Scr E Sang Fong."
This translated into English means The
Combined Chimes Speaking Soeiety's los
pital"
1t has been said that no New York
Chinese need ever be the recipient of out
side charity; and the poor and sick Of
the race need never be a load on TIE
white people, The little hospital at 195
Park street relieves them, rich and pooT
alike, and it is supported entirely by con-
tributions from Chinese speaking people.
The institution is comparatively ~.
1t owes its origin to Hoi You, the Cal
nese consul in San Francisco, who visited
New York five years ago. He advised the
Six Companies to establish such a hos
ptal In a short time the organization
was completed under the guiding hand OF
Lee Yick the merchant at "a Pell street.
and the building at 105 Park street was
leased at monthly rental of $40.
The hospital is supported by contrl6u-
tons from nearly all Chinese within Il
distance of 800 miles of New York, and it
draws its patients from the same terri
tory. Joseph Chung Hoe, native -
Canton, was put in charge and does all
the nursing and conducts all of tho bust
ness of the institution. He came to the
United States "a years ago. and for many
years was a nurse for physicians of hill
adelphia and New York.
hOGpitn1
ond floors of the building, the basement
being given over to Joseph Chung Hoe
for living apartments and n kitchen
where strange Chinese prescriptions are
stewed. The two large wards for pa
tents, one on a floor, are fitted up ia
Oriental style
E'unks of Reed and Palmetto.
The hunks are made of reed and pal
metto, like the sleeping hunks in the Cit
nese living quarters. The Chinese do not
believe in the luxury of bed springs, and
the hunks arranged in tiers on either side
of the wards are as hard as boards.
The lower tier is reserved for the older
patients, while the youthful must climb
to the upper. Twenty patients can
be accommodated, but the highest mum
Der in the institution at one time was
nine. At present there are five
The Chinaman has n preju lice against
calling the Chung Wah Kong Sor E sang
Fong a hospital Call it by that naIre
and he will quickly correct you.
mo hospital" exclaimed Lee Yick, the
merchant. ut a home. Chinese man
got no money, NO fliends, he get slick he
go to home. He got cousins"-all rela-
tives seem to be cousins among the CHI
nese-"they give maybe twenty-h' cents
maybe fl cents week help him. No cous-
ms, alice same, take care him. But 10
hospital-only home"
The chief support for the hospital or
home comes from the merchants of Chi
natown proper, and these contribute an
average of 81 a month When 1t Is con-
sidered that there are probably $50 mer-
chants, this money with the other con.
tributions provides substantial workirg
fund.
when Chinee man go home" contin-
ued Lee Yick "he have Chinee DOCTOR
Melican-lll<e doctor, any kind he want
He want to go back China, we send him
We give him plenty things eat, an plen-
ty money-maybe hummer dollar. 1t
moren pay he way back"
Most of the Chinese when they go to
the hospital prefer the "Chinee-llxe' doe
tors, who treat them according to GUS
toms laid down by physicians hundreds
of years ago. The walls of the wards
in the hospital are covered with inscrlp-
tons which are the sayings of these Old
physicians
Drive Out Evil Spirits.
Their manner of treatment is based not
on the idea of the curative properties o..
their prescriptions so much MS on Their.
power of driving out the evil spirits %
sickness The Chinaman looks upon the
"Chinee-like'' doctor with more respcct
than he does upon the "Meiean-lke"
doctor.
When he calls upon his doctor for a
'yock dom" or prescription, he gets one
which usually contains about forty 10
gradients. Prominent among them are
dried snake skins, frog skins and pow
dered toad, upon the powers of which
they pin great faith.
Other ingredients are herbs. When the
sick Chinaman has succeeded in getting
the prescription filled, the whole is boiled
and he drinks the resulting decoction
which is as bitter as gall. immediately
after drinking the prescription the pa
tent takes dried plum in his mouth to
kill the taste. Water has no effect u1on
the bitterness.
The price usually charged by the Chi
nese physicians is so cents. The China
man does not consider it refined to hard
his doctor the bare money. 1t is always
wrapped in red paper and the physician
never knows the size of his fee until after
: the patient has departed.
y But the Chinese have learned that the
New York board of health has mary
questions to ask about deaths As a con-
Chinese is beyr7d aid. an American ply
stefan is CALI in. This is a mere for
mality, as thG' American physician can
give death certificate acceptable TO the
board. while one from the Chinese doctor
would not be worth the paper it is writ
ten on.
In the hospital the feeble or sick Chit
nese lacks for nothing to comfort him II
1t can be procured. Money or no money.
cousins or no cousins. he is treated just
the same.
Banquets are of almost nightly occur
renee in the Chinese clubs and the W.
ands left over are always taken to the
hospital. Whoever gives these banuuets
considers 1t a duty to provide suff1cien,
quantity of food so that the Chung Wah
Kong Sor e Sang Fong may share tie
good things.
When the sick Chinaman has reached
that stage where he can eat no other
food he is kept alive on fue-juke or
cream OF rice, the most expensive food
known to the Oriental. 1t Is imported
from China, and is SO delicate that hard
ly one case in five reaches New York
without being ruined by mould. 1t con-
rsts of rice beaten into a pulp. pressed
and dried, then cut into slices and cooked
with cream.
When a sick Chinaman has got so lov'
that IL is an assured fact that he is soon
10 see the light of the other world rites
are conducted around his bedside by his
''cOusins'' and friends In tie wards 'or
the hospital are two small affairs. one ~
Joss and one to Confucius.
Pray Three Times a Day.