The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1906-01-18

stages were being treated that they
might pass inspection and enter the
United Statezs
'Trachoma Is disease Of the eye OF
which America has a special horror.
When transplanted to the tenement re-
gions Of New York city It spreads rap
idly and becomes almost as virulent as
in the orient. BY the New York board
Of health It is especially dreaded, and
the authorities at the various immigra-
ton ports Of this country are trying
with might and main to keep It out.
"In Marseilles the treatment Of ra-
choma has assumed remarkable d.
mensions. Here most Of the tmmi-
grants from the orient, from Syria, Ar
menia and neighboring countries, come
ON their way to the United States. Most
Of the immigrants report to man by
the name Of Anton Fares, who refers
them to certain boarding houses. Later
they are sent to DR.. G. Reynaut, 20
Boulevarde d d'Athenee, for examination.
Those who are found free from con-
tagious disease receive tickets and are
at once shipped to Havre, but as soon
as one Of these orientals is discovered
to have trachoma, Fares takes bold OF
the unfortunate immigrant and says:
"eThere are only two ways open to
you. You can either go by way OF st.
Nazaire to Mexico, where I have agents
to conduct you across the frontier Into
the United States, or you can go to
doctor here and get cured. Now, the
first plan is expensive and dangerous,
but the doctor is very successful
"Of course the poor fellow goes to
the doctor, who, BY the way, does
flourishing business. I met more than
a hundred immigrants every day visit
ed the clinic. The charge Is franc for
each treatment, and some Of these un-
fortunate patients have told me that
they have been under the doctors care
for more than two months. When
cured they are generally sent to Havre
and then shipped to New York. The
treatment Is frequently continued until
the immigrants purse in all but emp
tied.
'This business Is used also to fleece
the healthy oriental. Fares has prac-
tice which, I believe, Is peculiar to hiua-
self, Of having immigrants treated for
trachoma who have no trachoma at all
These generally have money and are
referred by Fares to the doctor, who
tells them they have trachoma, but that
it Is durable. One franc day Is charg-
ed for the treatment, or for board
and lodging, and this II kept up for a
month. When declared cured the VIC
tim is charged more than the usual
price for a steamship ticket. Such indi-
viduals are, as a rule, never deported
for eye disease and accordingly become
excellent advertisements for Fares.
"This man Fares Is well known to
the French authorities and has Ne
peatedly been under charges tor
cheating immigrants. He has q news-
paper to boom his business, which has
q wide circulation In Syria He ships
from forty to fifty immigrants a week
and stops at nothing in dealing with
them.
"The Russian Hebrew comes to
America chiefly by way Of Germany,
either sailing directly from Bremen or
Hamburg or going to England and
embarking from a British port Little
Is done at Bremen Or Hamburg to
patch up immigrants, but at the sta-
tons along the Russian and Austrian
borders the practice is common. I
have personally met more than hfH
trachomatous immigrants in a hospital
at Thorn, on the Russian Polish bor-
der. Health certificates have been 10
fused all Of them by the steamship
physicians, who told them to 20 home.
When they said, however, that they
had money enough for cure they
were sent 10 a hospital run by a
daughter Of 4 steamship agent Some
Of the patt>uts told mo they had stay
ed there for two months. Few are