THE MEDICAL SIDE OF IMMIGRATION 



387 



dence of defect is observed, tlie immigrant receives a chalk mark indi- 

 cating the nature of the suspicious circumstance. 



At the end of each line stands a second medical officer who does 

 nothing but inspect eyes. He everts the eyelids of eveiy person passing 

 the line, looking for signs of trachoma, and also notes the presence of 

 cataract, blindness, defective vision, acute conditions requiring hospital 

 care and any other abnormalities. All cases which have been marked on 

 the line are separated from the others and sent to the medical examining 

 rooms for careful examination and diagnosis. When it is remembered 

 that often 5,000 immigrants pass in a day, it is clear that the medical 

 officers not only are kept busy, but that they see an unusually wide 

 variety of cases. 



After careful examination, the nature of the defect or disease found, 

 is put in the form of a medical certificate which must be signed by at 

 least three of the physicians on dut}'. It is not within the province of 

 the medical officers to pass judgment on the eligibility of the immigrant 

 for admission. The medical certificate merely states the diagnosis, 

 leaving to the immigration inspector in the registry division the duty of 

 deciding the question of admission. In the inspector's consideration are 

 included not alone the medical report, but all other data concerning the 

 applicant, such as age, money in his possession, previous record, liability 

 to become a public charge, and his sponsors. 



Most cases of trachoma and mental or organic nervous disease are 

 sent to the hospital and kept under care and observation to facilitate an 

 accurate diagnosis. Seldom indeed does the alien suffer from too harsh 

 a medical judgment. He is given the benefit of a doubt always. For 

 example, if a case of defective vision is found to be 3/20 normal, it 

 would be certified as perhaps 5/20 normal. 



The immigration law as it stands since the legislation of 1907, 

 divides all defective immigrants into the following classes : Class A, 

 aliens whose exclusion is mandatory because of a definite and specified 



Lined dp, waiting for the Medical Examination. 



