Saturday press. [volume] (Honolulu, H.I.) 1880-1885, 1883-04-21
Mr.. BISHOPS LETTER.

As the A,its,fi,cy has taken upon itself to
eritieise the letter OF Rev. $. Z. Bishop upon
leptosy published in the san Francisco BNAirtiN,
perhaps we may be pardoncd in doing the same
The idtr,nHr accuses Mr. Bishop of eSaggcr.
alton In regard to numbers We believe Mr.,
Bishop has rather undercstimated. Whether
true OF not that lcpers have ever been employed
in the manufacture Of sugar, we are still pre-.
pared to bear out Mr. Bishop in his belief that
it would be impossible ever to convey the
infection in this way, as the boiling process
used in the manufacture Of sugar would be sui.
hcicnt to neutralire any disease germs. Mr..
Bishop says; In opposition to the views Of
many eminent physicians, | have always con.
Sidered the tubercular form of leproSy as some.
what contagious /" and goes on TO speak OF its
tardy increase, giving it favorable eompar
ison with consumption" in regard to activity
OF contagion. by the statement eminent ply
sieans' undoubtedly must be meant physicians
abroad, and we think it should have been so
stated, as it is well known that physicians here,
with no solitary exception that we know Of, he
lieye the disease to a certain extent contagious.
Some believe it to be very highly so. How
Mr. Bishop arrives at such a conclusion as that
the disease is less contagious than consumption
We cannot conceive. We feel positive that
phthisis does not exist IN this population in
anything like the proportion Of six per cent
the percentage given by Mr.. Bishop himself
for leprosy, and which we consider moderate
estimate. II not, how can It be that consump.
tion is more contagious than leprosy, since con.
sumption was known here long prior to the or.
ign OF leprosy, and no segregation whatever
has been practiced in regard to the former
named disease. Exactly where Mr.. Bishop
gets his authority for estimating the yearly
crops Of the disease does not appear. II his
estimates are drawn from the statistics of the
number sent yearly to the kalawao settlement,
his figures in this respect have no claim to Gre.
dence, as it is known by all well informed per.
sons that segregation for many years past has
never been more than half carried out. Mr..
Bishop says: 1T is certain that most cases Of
leprosy arise from sexual intercourse with lep-
ers." Upon this point we seriously differ with
the gentlemen, and believe the disease to be less
communicable in this way than by other means
of incubation. Upon this subject we have be-
fore given some facts, and have many in reserve
to prove the probable correctness of our view.
And again, ''perhaps one or two children may
have taken the disease from native nurses. -
Aye, and several more from vaccination, per.
haps; or in other ways past finding out. We
too "have sharp eyes for symptoms of leprosy, y
and at the time Mr.. Bishop wrote his letter to
| the Bulletin, could see Sin this city," not
zone case month, but cases every day We
would finally say, that the Honolulu press
so far as we may represent it, twill not be de-
tered from their good work by the Chyonifie'y
misuse of their language" Not until every
recognized leper is segregated at Kalawao, and
all doubtful cases well watched by the authori-