The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1883-07-21

! He told DIR. Hagan lle wanted to learn he
! did not use an opthalmOscope to perform
an operation that no other doctor would at
| tempt without the instrument. GreenwelPs
| case was pronounced incurable by Drs.
BrOdie and TrOusseau, and yet DR.. Fitch
operated on him and told him he would see
! in three months. DR.. Brodie said if such
an operation is successful the patient will
have vision restored Immediately, if at all.
1t is an imposition that such a man should
| be allowed to experiment on the eye, the
most delicate part of the body; in most eye
operations, nine out of ten are successful !;
with DR.. Fitch six out of seven are failures:
1 suppose DIR. Ftch's education was not
very complete he practiced dentistry, and
If he did 80 without study, so much the
worse for him. he is sailing through the
world like freebooter, he is travelling like
quack; because he is an NJ. D., he Is al
lowed to practice on people with impunity;
was not Mr.. Thrum justified i'm calling him
pretender? 1 do not think he is conduct
Ing his Office in an honest manner; he
quarrelled with DR.. Rodgers for his Offering
to go to Molokai, when he had recommend
ed that physician be stationed there. I
submit to you the cause of free speech and u
this case. His liberty Is In your hands
pFessst, Fast called the thGsf fourth do without the
In conclusion, the learned counsel thank
ed the jury for their kind attention TO his
lengthy address, which occupied one hour
and twenty minutes In delivery.
MR.. RUssELL's ARGUMENT.
The following is substantially q state
ment of the remarks Of Mr.. Russell, counsel
for the prosecution: The counsel for the
defense said, the doctors of this country
fought this dreadful disease of leprosy at
their own risk if this be true, which one
of them has done any more than Fitch, has
any one done as much, or half as much?
Dr. Fitch tells you, and he is not contra
dicted, that in the dispensary they come
there to be treated for syphilis and leprOsy
when the natives knew it was the best thing
to do, they fiOcked there by hundreds. 1t was
his duty as the medical representative of
the government to encourage that which
he had instilled in the native mind, and
which was this, that the better course for
them was to come forward and be treated
for whatever diseases they had, and more
particularly leprosy, and not hide away in
caverns and garrets, as had been their GUS
tom before the kindly influences of Fitch,
which educated them to the standard Of
offering themselves for treatment [ con-
tend that Fitch performed what that good
judgment dictated; I contend that his treat
ment was just such as to nurse the native
mind, and no man has cultivated that
principle more than he. Is that reckless
treatment?
Reference was made to the fact that doe
tors meet lepers in the street every day;
the only evidence on that point was given
by DR.. Emerson. He saw two new acquaint-
ances, and they were lepers in sixty days.
1t is said that Fitch's theory was his own.
/ don't pretend that a mans success Is a
proof of his ability, because hundreds Of
the ablest men have been faiIures the at
tempt is made to drag Fitch into disrepute
in comparing him to Columbus, who dis !
covered America; Jenner was Knighted for
his discovery of incubation as preventive !
of smallpox.
great deal of stress was laid on the case |
of Miss Agnes Aylett, year ago she went |
to DR.. Fitch, he told her he thought she
had Ieprosy and he treated her for it /; she is
not a private Ltient, she is dispensary
patient she told you that the black spots |
that were on her person have disappeared |
under the treatment of DIR. Fitch she has |
not suspended single day in her vocation
of schOolmistress; would any of you sup
pose from her appearance that she was a
pronounced leper. Dr. Emerson said in the
early stages of leprosy it was less con-
tagious than in it's advanced stage.
AS to the independence of the press am
at loss to understand what IL Is intended to
If the g. liberties Of the press" are
meant, that, unier+tand. II you rank the
fourth estate greater than the government;
then the government had better collapse.
There has been nothing unfavorabIe present
eli to you that affects the diploma of DR..
Fitch. The vigor hehas shown in his
former life, in order to attain his
present position, is highly COM
He went onward and on
ward until he reached the point that
ne sought to achieve. Reference has been
made to his methods of dispensing. DIR.
Hagan told you what occurred at the dis
pensary during the two or three visits that
he made. There was not an instance shown
you where a mistake had occurred through
the want of attention on the part of DR..
Fitch. A good deal has been said about
letting these lepers go from the Braucn
amongst the community; it is
not exclusively the work of DIR. Fitch DIR.
Trousseau said he had signed papers allow
ing five persons to leave the Branch Hos
pital; he did not say they were persons that
were sent there by mistake. Allowing these
persons to go abroad is not in conflict with
Fltch's theory. If it be true that it is not
dangerous for Miss Aylett to be abroad,
how could it be said that 1t was dangerous
for Sumner to be at large? Fitch does not
say that every stage is entirely non-con-
tagious Four or five persons were presented
here to illustrate DIR. Fitch's theory. The
also presented were taken at
the time of their entry into the hospital,
and claim it showed a wide gap be-
tween their former and present condi-
tions. Instead of being a sorry
picture; it is picture of which Dr. Fitch ought
to be proud; of which the community ought also
to be proud. Can it be said of a man that at
tains such results that he is "quack2 -
1.-THE learned counsel analysed in detail the