The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1880-10-16

WHEN the City of Sydney was seen out
side the reef flying the yellow flag, the
apparition caused no little excitement in
town, and long before any communication
from the vessel had reached the shore it
was currently reported in Honolulu that
she had smallpox on board. How such
tales arise it is always difficult to deter
mine but that this one gained ready Gre
dence was owing to the prevalence amongst
US of a strong and very natural feeling Of
alarm lest that dread disease should visit
us. The fact that many cases of smallpox
nave been recorded in San Francisco lately
has awakened the public mind to the risk
we are constantly running of its invasion.
Some years ago, when a similar alarm
spread through the kingdom, coming to us
from other countries where, for very good
reasons, it also prevailed, a very general
vaccination of the population took place.
But of late there has been great neglect of
a practice which is now universal in all
civilized communities, and compulsory in
many of them. Since the most careful and
efficient system of quarantine did not save
Sydney from an outbreak of smallpox, it
would be folly for us to rely wholly on such
measures. Vaccination is a duty which
Hawaiians of all other people ought not to
neglect. The sad ravages which much
milder diseases have made in our native
population ave been painful proofs of how
great u calamity an invasion of smallpox
here would be. If tue stringent measures
in regard to vaccination which are COM
mon in other countries be not resorted to,
at least the precautions there taken to pro-
vide facilities for it, ought not to be ne
elected. Where vaccination is compulsory,
Government physicians attend at appointed
places to vaccinate infants without charge,
and the utmost care is taken that the public
vaccinator is at all times supplied with
healthy lymph.
Whilst, however, we recognize its i'm
portance as a sanitary precaution, it is
necessary to bear in mind that vaccination
if indiscriminately undertaken by inexpe-
rieneed persons may cause other evils
almost as great as those which it is intended
to prevent. Physicians in this country are
generally agreed that in this way leprosy
and other diseases have been promoted.
Vaccination by any but skilled hands ought
not to be permitted, and pains should be
taken to- enable those who are qualified to
perform the operation, to secure whenever
needed a supply of lymph. We are glad to
learn tina the Board of Health is fully
alive to the importance of this matter, and
has, as a preliminary step, wisely sent
to a medical institution in Boston for a
quantity of pure lymph.
In connection with this matter comes
the question Are our quarantine regula-
tions all that they ought to be? There
be nothing more required at this port,
but can the same be said for all the ports in
other islands. At no other port than Homo
lulu is there any health-oficer properly so
called. If smallpox should unfortunately
brought amongst US, it is more likely to
be at some out-port than here that it is
brought ashore. II cannot be beyond the
power of the Government and the Board of
to take a step in advance, and put
an end to this anomalous state of things.
There is no port of entry at which some
duly qualified medical men does not reside.
The cost of making proper arrangements
ought not to be considered. What would
be the cost of neglecting them If the dread
full scourge, of which we have been writing,
should gain a foothold here ?