UNITED STATES PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE 



367 



A period of fifteen days must elapse after the last possible exposure 

 before release of suspects. 



Leprosy is only mildly contagious, at least in this country, and is an 

 instance of a disease made quarantinable more because of its loathsome 

 nature and the abhorrence in which it is popularly held than because of 

 actual infective danger from it. The immigration law absolutely 

 excludes all alien lepers. Others must be removed from vessels at 

 quarantine, and the quarters disinfected. 



No small feature of the activity of the Public Health Service is 

 its conduct of the medical examination of immigrants. No argument 

 is necessary to convince every thoughtful patriot of the vital importance 

 of this work. The immigration laws are explicit, and while the medical 

 examiners have no authority to pass judgment on the admissibility of 

 aliens, they have the basic function of supplying medical evidence 

 against mental and physical defectives, which evidence under the law 

 has a determining influence with the inspectors of the Immigration 

 Bureau of the Department of Commerce and Labor. The methods of 

 medical inspection of incoming aliens and laws concerned, have been 

 discussed and described by the author elsewhere, 2 and will not be taken 

 up here. 



By far the largest port of entry for immigrants is through Ellis 

 Island, N. Y. During the year ending June 30, 1911, 749,642 aliens 

 were inspected there, as against a total of 303,007 for all other points 

 of entry combined. At Ellis Island are stationed 23 medical officers, 



Quarters at Tampa, Fla. 



2 "Medical Aspects of Immigration," The Popular Science Monthly, 

 April, 1912; "Going through Ellis Island," The Popular Science Monthly, 

 January, 1913. 



