New Britain herald., 1917-03-31
TRAoHoNA, OR THE BAD E,iE.'
Expert Who Served in United States Custom Service Many Years Tells
 Interestirx Story, Some Cases Here.

EXpcTt WnO SGTveu HI CIutGu OtaVSS
 Custom Service Many Years Tells
 Interesting Story, Some Cases Here.
 New Britain, Conn.,. March 29, 1917. To the Editor of the Herald:
 May I ask space in your columns for the discussion of matter which seems to me of vital interest to the residents of this city. and in fact of all cities, I refer to the existence among us of~the loathemil and con- tagious eye disease known as tra- chonia. or Egyptian opthalmia. am informed by physicians that there are some forty to fifty cases in New Brit ain. at the present time
 The name trachonia appears to car ry little significance to the average business men, no matter how well ln- formed they may be on other mat ters. I would refer them to the Gen. tury, the Encyclopedia Britanica. or any other good dictionary, for 8 tech- nical definition and it seems to me that after they realize what thes dis ease really means, they cannot help being aroused to the importance of endeavoring to bring it under con- trol.
 During ten years of service in the customs at the port of New York. was assigned to the treasury depart ment, and my first headquarters were at Ellis Island. It was there that became acquainted with trachonia, and deeply realized the dread and horror of the disease. I have seen many thousands of our new citizens arrive and depart from Ellis Island. and have watched them undergoing examination by the physicians, for hours at a time. Traohonia Is known among the immigrants as the bad eye," and if any one of them show the least part of 1t, back he, or she. goes to the. old country. It. is the one thing above all others that bars the alien. The separations caused by this law are often deeply pathetic. have seen many such cases. Hus- bands and wives. parents and chill dren. brothers and sisters. no mat ter what the tie of relationship. the one may come, but the other must go. It may be a young couple on their honeymoon, to the land where "all are rich" who are suddenly part ed. The tumble blight Is upon her,
 the "bad-eye," and she may not land. ] There are hundreds of such cases, for the law Is inexorable. Those who are afflicted with it try again and yet i again, at times when the disease is somewhat in abeyance, often at other ports of entry, but it is rarely of any
 use. It is the one point in Uncle
 Sam's armour which he seeks to make invulnerable.
 It seems that trachonia is here with 1 us. nevertheless. in spite of the rig orous laws and constant vigilance, 1 and we do not realize its deadly im- l portance.
 If we know that we had leper 1 among us we should be justly alarmed l and aroused to immediate action. Is not the existence of forty to fifty cases of trachonia in the city suf1- cient to startle us.
 One case of long standing has come
 to my personal attention and I have ] been watching 1t for several weeks.
 I recognized it as trachonia when 1T first saw 1t, and my opinion has since 1 been confirmed by two eye specialists. 1 This disease is originally caused by dirt and filth and is most prevalent