Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-08-16
DENIED AS BASELESS
TRAoHolEA NOT EPIDEMIC AT
ELLIS ISLAND.
OF Immigrants Arriving More Have
Been Afflicted With the Dis
ease Than Usual.

Some disgust was evinced In the bureau
Of immigration today over the sensational
statement in a New York paper that there
was an epidemic of trachoma at the inn
migration station at Ellis island. Commits
sioner Sargent said, in speaking of the stu
alton, that 1t was true there was more ira
choma now than for several months past,
but this was on account Of the greater
number of incoming immigrants found to
be affected. This, he said. was always the
case when there was a falling off In the
westward rush Of immigrants. The immi-
grafton companies-that Is to say. the
steamship lines who do the importing-are
port the live freight just as they would any
other cargo. for what they can make out
OF them. In some seasons when there Is
rush Of immigration the steamship lines are
more careful in the class Of immigrants
they pick and we get q better grade of Inn
ports as rule. But when the rush fails
or there Is an effort made to Ill up the
steamers and the class of immigrants de-
terforates correspondingly.
Under the law any immigrant afflicted
with loathsome or infectious disease Is
deported and In the case OF immigrants
with trachoma there is a fine. Of 500 for
every case that steamship company wit
tingly brings to this country beside the fact
that the immigrant has to be deported at
the expense Of the steamship line.
Prevalence Of the Disease.
During the last month or more there has
been great prevalence Of trachoma. This
1t may be stated. is disease Of the eyes,
like an aggravated form Of graduated Ids
Sometimes it will respond to treatment, and
If an immigrant can afford to be kept under
observation and pay for hospital attendance
1t can be cured. But there have been cases
where an immigrant has been kept in the
hospital for nine months a year. and the
disease hnallv given chronic
There are ways. too. of beating the inspec-
ton service. One of the first things that a
medical inspector looks for Is trachona.
Sometimes the eyes are so bad that IL can
be recognized at ten feet. Again. a sls-
pected case has to be kept under observa-
ton for DAYS or weeks. 1t Is said that some
Of the immigrants who have light cases are
furnished with a wash. such as is used in
the regular treatment of the disease, and
that by persistently using 1t on the trip
across they are able to pass inspection. OF
course in the most OF these cases the t; eat
ment is discontinued as soon as the immi-
grant lands. and the disease grows as bad
as ever.
There were 127 deportations for trachoma
during the first eleven days Of this month.
but that was an unusually large number.
The Remedy Suggested.
The remedy that has been suggested by
the commissioner Of immigration for three
years past has been to station surgeons of
the marine hospital service at the various
ports OF embarkation. and thus head III
tho undesirables Of all sorts, the diseased
and the imbeciles and a lot of others that
we get right along. and then have the
trouble Of deporting. But this Is a move
that will require the authority of Congress,
and no ACTION has yet been taken toward
making the change in the law. There are
fifteen or twenty ports that would have 10
be so watched but the expense would not
be large. while the saving from humans
tartan standpoint would be considerable.