Processing into America: Historical Context

Between 1885 and 1920, approximately 21,000,000 immigrants arrived in America. Roughly 75 percent (75%) of them entered through New York Bay and were processed at Ellis Island after the immigration station opened in 1892. The arrival of immigrants from new parts of the world brought fears of new diseases and new germs being introduced to the United States. As a result, immigrants who arrived were first met by medical officers from the US Public Health Service (USPHS), who examined them for evidence of “loathsome or dangerous contagious diseases,” which could be grounds for sending immigrants home. During the early years of the 20th century, trachoma, an infectious eye disease that could lead to blindness if left untreated, became one of the leading reasons for excluding immigrants on medical grounds. To check for trachoma USPHS officers would flip back immigrants’ eyelids using their fingers or a buttonhook, an implement originally intended for fastening the small buttons common on shoes and clothing at the time.