Existing comment:
The U.S. Public Health Service
During Ellis Island's peak years of immigration -- 1892 to 1924 -- the U.S. Public Health Service was responsible for the medical inspection and treatment of over 12 million immigrants.
The Hospital Buildings:
By 1911, more than 15 buildings on the island were devoted to medical care. The U.S. Public Health Service operated a 275-bed hospital and contagious disease wards with 450 beds. There were laboratories, operating rooms, an x-ray plant, a psychiatric ward, and a morgue. The staff of 40 doctors dealt with every kind of medical impairment, from slight injuries to rare tropical diseases. One observer said, "It is at once a maternity ward and an insane asylum."
Six-Second Specialists:
On Ellis Island, new arrivals formed a long line that wound its way up the stairs and into the Registry Room. U.S. Public Health Service doctors stationed on the stairs sometimes had only six seconds to scan each immigrant during the line inspection to detect those who should be held for a more thorough medical examination. Experienced doctors could recognize the signs of a wide variety of diseases and disabilities. In 1917, the U.S. Public Health Service printed a list of over 60 health conditions -- from anemia to varicose veins -- the doctors could spot during the brief line inspection. |