40 
THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 
Further, it Is well known that hnbe- 
ciles have larger families than normal 
persons, and that they also have a large 
number of illegitimate children. Parent- 
hood on the part of all these classes of 
persons, native or alien, is a crime against 
the future. To admit to this country the 
feeble-minded, the insane, the epileptic, 
the habitual criminal, those afflicted with 
hereditary diseases, is no less a crime 
against the future. 
The ideal selection of our immigrants 
would be possible only if we could have 
a fairly complete history, running back 
a few generations, showing the heredi- 
tary tendencies of each alien. This is 
impracticable, so far as the immediate 
future is concerned. But there are some 
things we can do. We can insist that each 
alien, on landing here, should undergo a 
very thorough mental and physical ex- 
amination at the hands of our Public 
Health and Marine Hospital Service sur- 
geons. These examinations would in- 
volve the stripping to the skin of each 
alien ; the usual physical examination for 
physical defects ; mental tests ; tests for 
syphilis, and similar precautions. Is this 
too much to demand when the welfare 
of the human race is at stake? 
I have seen thousands of aliens landed, 
and I have marveled at the skill with 
which our surgeons are now able, by the 
most superficial examination as the aliens 
file by, at the rate of several a minute, 
to detect some of the physical and even 
some of the mental defects which put 
these aliens into one or another of the 
classes which may be excluded. But such 
a superficial examination is all wrong. 
It is nothing short of a crime to admit 
people, as often happens in a rush sea- 
son, at the rate of 3,000, 4,000, or 5,000 
in one day at Ellis Island. On April 11, 
1910, 7,931 immigrants were inspected 
by the medical officers. Think of that ! 
And these medical officers were supposed 
to detect any mental and physical defect 
which might exclude ! 
I believe that we ought to limit the 
number of aliens who shall be landed in 
one day to a certain number which could 
reasonably well be carefully inspected. 
We ought largely to increase the number 
of the surgeons detailed for that most 
important work of inspecting arriving 
aliens. We ought to enlarge the accom- 
modations at some of our immigrant sta- 
tions, in order that this work might be 
properly carried out. 
Again, we can go a long way toward 
the accomplishment of our object by in- 
creasing the fines which the steamship 
companies now pay when they bring 
over an alien who is found, on our own 
examination here, to be an idiot, imbe- 
cile, epileptic, or suft'ering from a loath- 
some or dangerous contagious disease 
which could have been detected at the 
port of departure. The fine is now only 
$100. The steamship companies pay lit- 
tle attention to the provision. They run 
their chances of having such aliens de- 
tected on landing, and in some cases they 
insure themselves against possible loss 
by obliging the alien to deposit $100 
when he buys his ticket. Now if we 
increased this fine to $500 — and that is 
none too large — the steamship companies 
would themselves, without expense to 
us, make a much more thorough exami- 
nation abroad before sailing. 
Further, for the more effective detec- 
tion of aliens who are physically, men- 
tally, and morally undesirable, and who 
are already enumerated in our list of 
classes excluded by existing law, we 
should put immigrant inspectors and our 
own surgeons on board of all immigrant- 
carrying vessels. These officials, ming- 
ling with the immigrants on the voyage 
over, should see that they are properly 
treated and cared for; that they are not 
overcrowded, and that they receive ade- 
quate medical attention. 
But, of far greater importance than 
that, these officials would be able to de- 
tect a great many cases of physical and 
of mental defect which we could not 
possibly detect in our necessarily hurried 
examination when these people land, and 
in this way we should be able to exclude 
and to send back far larger numbers of 
undesirable aliens than is at present pos- 
sible, however strictly we may try to en- 
force the law. 
In addition to these steps which we 
should take, and take instantly, to ac- 
complish the more eft'ective exclusion of 
the insane, the imbecile, the idiot, the 
tuberculous, and those afflicted with 
loathsome or dangerous contagious dis- 
