The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1872-05-25
The small PON.

No little excitement was caused on Thursday
torepoon by the announcement that a case Of small
pox bad been discovered IN town. Although the
whole population of the islands has doubtless with
but few exceptions been properly vaccinatsd. vet
the former experience of our community IN regard
to this terrible scourge is such that We very uatu-
rally get alarmed at the statement of its reappear-
ance among us The person attacked by the
disease (for there appears 70 be no doubt now that
II Is the smallpox Is a young native female. under
twenty years Of age She left here on board the
schooner Judaita, on the I7th. tor Molokai, con-
planning 81 the tine Of a slight fever and headache.
In a day or SO after, the eruption came ont, aud At
hrst Was tbought TO De mosquito bites. bat soon
Increased covering the entire cutc!e. from head To
fret At kabului, where the Juls5tT met the Ia
Moi. the girl was put on hoard the latter vessel.
and brought To Honolulu. When examined by the
physicians here, some doubt was expressed 4 a. 10
the real nature ~ the disease, an opinion being
expressed by some that IL was chjcken-poN. but
others again were confident that it Was The real
smallpox, and the girl was eventusliy removed by
the Board of Health 10 the Pest House on the reef,
where she IS being properly attended
a most astonishing fact IN this case Is that the
girl was for two hours exposed 70 the public gaze
in a public place in the city. before any measures
were taken TO have her isolated. II We have any
Board OF Health, where were they: II the sick
persons disease was in q condition 10 be conta-
gious. what protection HAS the public health had.
and why NAV we not expect that the disease may
break out all over the town at any momentg
The question arises. where did this person catch
the Infection. 1t is we'll known that the move
ments OF THIS disease are apparently mysterious.
appearing often suddenly in localities where least
expected. There is scarcely a month in the year
during which it is not present and more or less
prevalent in the large cities of Europe and Amer
lea. 1t ragged f~earfuIly in Philadelphia during the
past winter. and is always 10 be found in San
Francisco in a more or less pronounced type.
The stateN.eNt is current that q person who came
here a r1sseIger from San Francisco by the Ne
6rdSka 90 the 5h inst. and who died in the Amer
lean Hospital on the 9Th. was sick with the small
pox. In that case. as we learn, there was a donht
in the minds OF physicians as to the real nature of
the disease of which the man died. there being a
belief that 1t was a case Of old and aggravated
syphilis. But we are also informed that strict pre-
cautions were taken in destroying any clothing
which could have come in contact with his person,
after the death.
In any event and under all circumstances. there
cannot be too much care and vigilance exercised
in this matter. We have great confidence in the
skill and prudence of the Minister of the Interior,
who is a medical man and the head OF the Board Of
Healtb-but we advise prompt attention to re-
vaccination, for which the proper facilities are at
hand.