Image – Physical Examination at Ellis Island

Physical Examination at Ellis Island Page 620

Chapter 18

Physical Examination at Ellis Island

Looking for a better life, millions of immigrants from southern, eastern, and northern Europe came to the United States during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. After a long journey across the Atlantic Ocean, they passed through inspection stations, such as the one seen in this photograph at Ellis Island in New York Harbor, the first federal immigration center in the United States, opening in 1892.

Questions for Analysis

1. The woman in the photo is being examined for trachoma, an infectious eye disease.  Why was it important for officials to screen for infectious diseases like trachoma?  What does this say about the state of public health in the United States at this time?   About the living conditions of most immigrants to the United States?

2. What overall atmosphere is conveyed in the photo?   In what manner do the officials treat the immigrants?

 
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