IMMIGRATIOX AXD THE ri'BLlC HEALTH 



327 



iminigraiiis on a thorouglilv adequate basis will cost money in large 

 amount. But it is not only a good and economic investment, it is 

 absolutely essential in order to conserve our national mental health and 

 to ensure a normal mentality to coming generations. 



Among the important agencies operating directly to promote mental 

 public health is the present mental hygiene movement. This is a care- 

 fully organized effort of national scope, which is being directed and 

 promoted by the National Committee for Mental Hygiene with head- 

 quarters in Xew York City. The field activities of this committee are 

 under the direction of Dr. Thomas W. Salmon, of the U. S. Public 

 Health Service. The object of the committee is to popularize the cor- 

 rect knowledge of the causes of mental impairment, to supply agencies 

 for furnishing advice to persons threatened with, or actually suffering 

 from mental breakdown, and to furnish preventive social service for 

 such cases. Insanity is a disease and a large proportion of the cases 

 are due to preventable causes. The National Committee is also making 

 a medical survey of the country with reference to methods of caring for 

 the 200,000 insane of the country. At present there is a lamentable 

 lack of uniformity in the different states, in the facilities and methods 

 employed in insane hospitals, and the standards of care are very low 

 in manv. 



III. Importance of the Immigratiox Station for the 

 Public Health 

 Any discussion of the relation of immigration to the public health 

 must take cognizance not alone of the mental and physical effect of 

 incoming immigrants on the present population, but must concern itself 

 very particularly with the selection and enforcement of the best methods 

 of excluding the unfit. The relative importance of the leading ports 

 of entry in number of immigrants examined is shown in the following 

 table: 



It is seen that Ellis Island, the immigration station for New York, 

 is by far the largest port of entry. Hence it is the most representative 

 place to study practical methods of immigrant examination. These 

 methods have been described elsewhere in detail.^ Certain features 

 only need mention at this time. 



» Alfred C. Eeed, "The Medical Side of Immigration," The Popular 

 Science Moxthly, April, 1912; and "Going through Ellis Island," The Pop- 

 ular Science Monthly, January, 1913. 



