The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1867-11-09
TIN PACIFIC
Commercial Advertiser.
NiTHRDAf. NOTEnBER o.
Measles anal ti,o i.ui.ii. Health.

NJ INIfA - Nbl LhbfN y
Measles and tia" i."hii" Health.
There Is a bureau of the puhl'c service styled
" the Board 81 Health. - which 10 vested with
oort',n extraordinary f"wcrH. intended solely Tor
the protection of The luhlic health. Is author.
'ty - la n mcuSurr Discretionary. anil may loo
usci for the injury of individuals M well ne for
tho benefit 1T tir community.
\ communication publirhrd by uH lns, week
frum a passenger by ilo struncr Ldaho. aud
another ia THE PAPER from the same gentleman,
will illustrate {" thc public the power of the
Bard. aud how this power may to nbu~,l. We
take IL Tor granted that the statements mad" are
Hub"tnntially correct, NJ VIC find them corrobon,tcd
from other sources.
Ia brief. the gcntlcman'r story is this. On the
passage hithcr ono of his children wns found
affected with thc measles, from which IL recover
ell. Another took IL, aud when the ycr-cl arrived,
il WIS ut or n littlc past in hight. The family
was allowed Ia come GA shore. and provided with
II tenement It few rods beyond the Stonc Church,
aud full liberty given 10 NIL but thc sick child To
go where they pleased. and they were even taken
To ride by the agent Of the Board of Health.
Aitcr the appearance Of Mr.. Emcrron's letter in
lnst weeks paper he WINS forbidden 10 witt his
family, though others were allowed To do no, and
even native children permitted To writ the family.
without restriction.
The treatment which this gentleman aud his
family have received from tie Beard of Health
has evidently been tincturcd with hardness. IT
the disease was of such n nature IN t. require the
quarantining of II passenger or family, ~ required
The same Of the ship and all her Pdsiengus.
Whatever coutagion one Possessed the whole had.
but we are to infer that the Board did not oon-
slider the measles as positively contagious, and
injurious by their allowing all the passengers to
come Ola shore and removing all interdict with
the vessel. This was perfectly right, AZ this dis
ease i- one of the mildcst of contagious, and
when allowed to spread wherever it will, among
the young. is generally harmless, if the patient i-
kept under the care of proper medical attendance.
The statement made by the Gasene-'' there
are ton many in this community who remember
the ravagcs of the .'mnaslcs'' some twenty years
ago, not go be alarmed by the advent of the dis
ease; II traS more destructive than The smaH-pOr
P~estiIeno. of a subsequent date we pronOunc
10 be entirely false and without foundation. The
whooping-cOugh and measles prevailed extern
sivcly in the group during three or four months
of 1913, and much sickness and suffering were
endured by reason of them. But there is no
evidence To show that the deaths from measles in
the entire group amounted to even one thousand.
The census statistics show that some five or six
thousands must have died from small pox, and 70
assert that the measles was the more destructive
Of the two, is n gross m~istatemcnt. The measles
may have brought ON other discases, and thus i'll
creased the dcath-rate of the native population.
1t is q fact which can not be gainsaid that the
earlier in life that this disease, and other kindred
mild contagious which cannot be prevented,
spread among the people, the better for the pa
tents. If measles prevailed here every five or ten
years, il would be better than if less seldom, AMI
would prevent the injurious and fatal effects dit
tending ii when taken later in life. As n general
thing in this climate, its attacks on the young
and perhaps on all are much milder than in colder
countries.
The intentions of the Board of Health may
have been the very best, but when national preju-
dices or personal feelings are allowed to influence
its acts, as they evidently have in this case, it is
time that n reformation took place in its organ
ization, and so sacred n trust We're conided to
those who can sacrifice personal feelings and act
only for the good of the public. We trust that
when the measles again arrive the Board of
Health will exercise better judgment, and not
make itself obnoxious 10 the public sense, which
will only react against us. 1t will deter
strangers from visiting us. immigrants from locat-
abroad.