The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1915-03-02
! i(Exclusive Service The Survey Press Bureau)
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Over a million immigrants arrive at
the port of New York last year-a
total about equal to the population of
Boston and Washington combined.
Take any week in the year and
imagine that, during this week, all the
people who are sick and needed treat
ment in. these two cities were to pc
sent to one hospital and you will have
a pretty fair idea of the total amount
of work performed by the hospitals
at Ellis Island last year.
OF these million Immigrants about
one out of every hundred was sent
! to the hospital. In actual figures, TO-
17S were treated in the institution
which has been aptly called, "a gen.
/ eral hospital for all nations"
Z HUNDRED CASES A DAY
| In these days of huge vessels, a
modern steamship often brings over
on one trip more than 1000 Storage
passengers Tt is by no means unusual
to receive one hundred or more cases
at the hospital in one day. The task
of admitting examining, treating, and
housing this number OF new patients
in five or six hours, would tax the
capacity OF the largest hospitals in
the country.
A few hours before the departure Of
vessels from the other side. the ship
surgeons take their place at the head
of the gangWay and carefully scrut-
inixe each Immigrant as he comes on
board. This inspection is made under
difficulty; but as general rule, II
prevents anyone who is actually sick
at the time from gaining admission to
the steamer. Hence the greater num-
Der of Immigrants who are Ill when
they arrive have become SO since they
left home.
The medical inspection Of those ar
irving is made chiefly for two pur-
500 hat r 7T-a
strong, well and bright enough to be
able to earn a living and get along in
this country and second, to ascertain
that they do not have certain diseases
which they might transmit to their
ineighbors in America
The INNING hospitals are mod
ern In every respect and well equipped
The wards are light, airy, and com.
Portable and there are a few prfvate1
rooms FOR cases which especially need
thern The food Is abundant: and Of
the best quality. The attending ply
sicians are commissioned officers of
the United States Public Health Ser
vice. All the nurses are graduates or
approved institutions Excellent facili-s
ties for the scientific treatment Of pa
TENTS are available, including an *
ray plant, four operating rooms and
a complete laboratory where all the
complex and difficult examinations re
q1ired by the modern medicine are
daily made
PHYSICIANS PROBLEMS
There are no interpreters employed
especially for the hospital Some of the
physicians and employees can speak
one or more foreign languages, and all
OF the staff have picked up a. few use
fn words in several tongues When it
becomes absolutely necessary, an inter
prefer is borrowed from the regular
corps employed by the immigration
service.
After a surgeon has been on duty
at the island for some time, he ac-
quires the ability to make diagnoses
without holding much communication
with the patient. Outside physicians
have to do the very same thing when
they are treating very young children; 4
so it is not such out of the ordinary
after all.
Al far more difficult problem than
diagnosis IL the attempt to feed all
these different races from one general
kitchen. While patients are really Ill
In bed, few OF the simpler articles
of diet, such as milk, eggs, chicken, 4
toast, etc, win suffice; but when they
remain In the hospital for long
period or are recovering from a pro-
tracted illness, it is almost impossible
to furnish which will appeal to their
foreign palates and poor appetttes at
the same time.
In desperate cases, it has been some
times necessary to throw ordinary die
tetic teachings to the winds and allow
would appear to be surely harmful.
A little Arab girl who had an oper-
alton for appendicitis refused absol-
utely all our food until she was almost
dead from exhaustion and starvation,
but she ate greedily a most viiliancus
looking form OF native sausage and
cream cheese which her mother
brought to the hospital; and on the
most unpronisfng Diet, she made a.
splendid and uninterrupted recovery:
RELIGION AND DIET
Not only custom, but also religion.
into the problem Of diet The orthodox
Jew asks for kosher food; the Hindoo
loses caste if the hand of any strang-
err touches what he is to eat. Fortune
Nv, most of these creeds permit the
deyotee to ignore diet restrictions
when sick; but the problem is con-
stantly coming up. and has to be met
In another way.
An Intelligent study Of the diseases
treated at Ellis Island, gives a, pretty
good idea of just what maladies trav-
elers at sea. are especially liable to
contract Strange as it may seem, adj
missions for digestive troubles or as
the result of sea-sickness are not very
common: but pneumonia, sore threats.
bronchitis scarlet fever, measles,
rheumatism. fnffamed eyes, and minor
injuries occupy a prominent place in
the Islands case histories. Diseases
Ike typhoid fever or appendicitis oc-
cur about as often as they would in
the same number of people remaining
at home.
Insane people if they can get the
necessary money, are very apt to
travel There are several reasons for
this II they suffer from decisions of
persecution. they are constantly NOV
ing from place to place to escape their
imaginary prosecutors. Then, too, as
soon as their mental pecuIaarities are
appreciated, they are generally shun-
ned and avoided by their friends: