The Hawaiian gazette., 1878-07-24
Indge Caron's Letter.
Hoxotulu. H. /. February Is. ISIS,

prove OF interest. MY attention was nrSt attracted
10 the subject, by listening to septsnnial sermon
preached by Rev. Mr.. FreAr, pastor Of the Congre-
gationsl Church 10 Honolulu, the last Sunday Il
1871. he stated that during the seven years in
which be had had the charge Of that church, there
had been born to its members eighty children. and
that Of those under his charge, i've under fifteen
years Of aye had died Of disease and one from aeei-
dent. and that during the same time fourteen adult
members Of the church had died.
These statistics sufficiently full to satisfy
me, So | took early opportunity TO call upon the
reverend gentleman and told him that bis discourse
had awakened interest in which it did not
satisfy, and thai be would lay under great 0bi-
cations if be could inform whAi was the number,
during the years Of the children under ffteen
years Of age Of whom bat ave had died Of disease,
aud what was the average number Of adult members
of bis church. Of whom fourteen had died in the
period, and also how many of the eighty children
born during that time were still living. he express
ed great willingness TO do this as soon as be could
make The necessary investigation, and when prscti-
cable be obligngly informed that the average
number. for the seven years of the children from
whom the Eve taken. was 500. That the aver
age number of the adult members of the church dur
ing the seven years Of whom the fourteen had died,
two hundred. That three of the i've children
who had died were Of the eighty born during that
time leaving seventy seven of them still living. He
then added that no death had occurred during his
time. among either class, Of q person between the
ages Of six and eighteen years. that the number of
Juveniles might have been largely increased by iu
GLIDING all 10 that class under eighteen years of
IrenArksd that Thought his statements most extra
ordinary. had it stated by high authority
that one-hAlf Of the children born IL the United
States and in Europe die before they attain the age
o! I've years. / asked him If he had ever applied
figures TO his facts TO enable him to cOmpre-
head the results more clearly. | then said let US
assume that the three hundred children represented
800 years Of life each year, then during the
years there represented tWenty-one hundred
Al I. -. l.
by i've, the number Of deaths from disease. which
has occurred among them during that time, then
there has less than death occurred for four hun
dred years of juvenile life in his congregation and by
applying the mode Of mputAtion to the adults
of his church and the fatality among them during
the same time. then there had occurred one death
for each one hundred years Of adult life
These results seemed very extraordinary he admit
ted but that could change the facts. At the hrst
opportunity laid these statements before DR.. Me-
Grew, physician Of very extensive practice in
Honolulu, who said that he did not doubt the truth
of the statements and that he did not think the
suits exceptional among the white population in the
Islands. That the congregation Of the Fort Street
Church consisted of white people with very few
eepti0us, and that the fa@ natives who worshipped
while the death Of white child in the Islands was
of very rare occurrences the very reverse was the
among the native population. l asked the
doctor how he explained the remarkable difference
In tue health OF tue children IN the TWO races. ne
aseribed the difference to two principle first
the lack Of constitutional vigor vitality in the
native children, Inherited weakness or disease,
aud second lack Of that which the white
children receive or in Othe- words lack OF sternal
affection. He stated that all children here sub
jeet to those juvenile diseases which Sfict children
IN other countries, such the whoOping cough,
measles, aud the ike but that here they are of a
much nilder type than in any other country Of which
he had any knowledge, and when proper care was
=. II. Il
That indeed the death of white child was Of very
rare occurrence that the parents become st least
partially Invested of that deep socitude rather
apprehension which is felt in other countries, that
the new born infant may not live TO maturity. l
then inquired If he could discover that this munity
seemed TO have 4 tendency TO beget in the white
mothers, inclination to neglect their children. he
very promptly answered not in the least that the
white mothers here devoted to their offspring
n in any country in the world only that they were
richly rewarded here for such afectiouAte care
than elsewhere.
While upon the Islands have neglected oppor-
tunity push my inquiries this interesting sub
jeet, aud found the results nowhere less favorable
than the first statements given. In conversation
with Dr. Euders formerly of st Louis, now prac-
tieing hysieian at Waiuku, on the Island of Maui,
learned that by applying the same mode of cOmPu-
tAton first adopted TO his facts that there six
hundred years Of juvenile life to each death of a
child among the white population within his practice
DR.. MeGrew IS to the native population.
Rev. S. C. Damon, seamauis chaplain at Honolulu
for these many years, whose hand seems to be in
every good work, took to visit the Punahou
school and Oahu college which is situated just beyond
the city. From historical essay, read at meeting
of the alumni Of this institution by Hon +. Judd
il 1865. learn that " the school opened the llsh
ofJuly lsil with attendance of thirty -four pupil:
solely the children Of missionaries. The greatest
number lot pupils in any one year in 1855
-ha,F n 81 = and -
the year just closed (ls65) 81. Total number oil
pupils daring twenty-five years, zoo, number o.
deaths so far known, 20, leaving alumni sly,
go " was informed thata large percentage o.
these deaths occurred out of the Islands. At tn,
time of nv visit the school had been in operation
IS years. aud not sin gle death had
red among the pupils. / could obtain the exac
average attendance but DR.. Damon expressed th'
opi1iou that the average would be about 10 While
the data obtained lack precision in some important
particulars, for instance the number of deaths Of
the alumni which occurred on the Islands, and th,
average number Of pupils in the school. still the!
valuable as tending to show the hsalthtulness o
the Islands.
have made some efforts to get biological his
tory Of all the missionary families 10 these Islands
but without success. This, complete, would form
most interesting chapter in Natural History, anC
such work believe not imprRctieable at this day
1t would show measure of generation and health
aud periods Of vitality, rarely be parAeled in tn
which advances step in this direction. The mis-
sionAry mothers in the Islands formed themselves
into society which they called the Maternal Asso
citation Of the Sandwich Islands and in 1854 pub
shed list of the members and children of the asso
citation called the Blue Book. In this the dates o
the births of the children and the dates and tn
places of the deaths Of members and children ar
given. In this book given sixty five missionar,
mothers and their children, Of whom there b0r
2ss. Thirty-tWo Of these had died in the Island
of disease. one was drowned, and five had died a
other places, one of whom drowned. OF the g.
matrOns, uine had died in the Islands, and two a
other places. The first child was born in October
1890; aud the last in March, 1854. The value o
these hgures is better appreciated when Temembe
that the first missionaries arrived here in 1878, s
that the period embraced in the statistics was 8
years. l regret that have not the Of deter
mining the numbers and dates of the reinforeemants
bot as the dates of the births Of the children ar
| given, together with the dates and places of tn
deaths among them, enabled from these t
| uske valuable computations. AS we have seen, tn
IS mothers bore 2sS children, of whom IS had died
Reckoning from the birth Of each child up TO 1854
the time when the statement was made, the aggrs
gate years Of life. if had died, 400 com
putting then the time from each death up 1854 th
sgSregate is found to be i63 years, Hhieh if deduc
ed from the 400 years, leaves 3657 years Of life
| With these data given, each may make his oE
| computation, though l cannot help observing tbs
than Sc per cent. Of those children born in th
Islands, were living at the end Of the period of
years after the first was born. The medical profei
sion may be familiar with such results but comics
they surprised me.
may state here that l learned from accoueheGi
and otkes reliable sources that parturition is niue
easier sud safer here than is usual in other countries
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