The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1883-01-27
DAILY, January 49,

THERE is at this time several medical
gentlemen, eminent in their profession, on
a visit to our Islands. DIR. T.. L. Seelye,
brother of the President of Amherst Col
lege; DR.. Thomas B.. Bennett, of London I;
and Giuseppe Ollino, surgeon ofthe Italian
army; also MI. Douglass Wolcott, for some
time past a missionary in British India.
They are thoughtful, scientific gentlemen,
and naturally anxious to study the disease
of Ieprosy as it is developed in this
country. By invitation, last Sunday,
the 2lst instant, they met the President of
the Board of Health, DIR. Fitch, and DIR.
Hagan, at the Branch Hospital at Fish
erman's Point. Mr.. y. F. Cook, who accom-
panied Mr.. Wolcott, was of the party.
Over two hours were spent in a careful
observation and discussion of the many
cases examined. We are not prepared at
present to give the conclusions of these
gentlemen in respect to the disease. We
dare say that themselves, as we trust, will
defer the expression ofany positive opinions
until they have made further visits and
more extended examinations. One state
ment of much interest was made by DR.. Ben
nett, that he, while in charge of a London
hospital, had frequently met cases of
leprosy in Lascars and other Oriental
sailors that such cases were by no means
rare in that g4eat port of England, and
there were continually cases of leprosy
brought from the Levant and other places
farther East, and yet medical authority had
never advised, nor had the Government
deemed it necessary, that such cases should
be segregated, or treated elsewhere than in
the general hospital. Mr.. Wolcott, in COM
menting on the disease, spoke of cases
where lepers with suppurating sores and
exposed decayed limbs had come under his
observation in the hospital and even on
the highways of India, nevertheless,
the Government had not deemed it
necessary to institute any system of segre-
CATION. 1t was also further mentioned
that, in Norway, which suffers more nota-
bly, than any European country from this
disease, the Government had erected a hos
pital, but its Legislature has never provided
any law making segregation compulsory.
Hawaii is doubtless the only country in the
world where the segregation of lepers has
been made legal and compulsory by legis-
lation. OF course a larger percentage
of the population in this country are affiict-
ed with the malady, n this may be re-
garded as sufficient reason why more
restrictive measures nave been established
here than elsewhere. According 10 the
observation of scientific men thus far, there
is no settled opinion in regard to the conf
municability of the disease under ordinary
circumstances Our Legislature years ago
may be said to rave acted under the i'm
pulse of a scare, Influenced by the medical
men of that time, when it was led to enact
most repressive measures, which not only
deprived a man of his liberty, but also of
his property. The execution of these legis-
lative provisions has been in the hands of
several administrations of the Government.
Perhaps not less than a dozen Ministries
nave had to deal with the question during
the past fifteen years and there has been
every opportunity to carry out the measure
of segregation. 1t is a shameless falsehood
to say that the King interferes with the
action of the health authorities in this
matter. There is not an officer of the Gov
eminent, who can say that he has been
interdicted or intimidated by the royal infiu-
ence on this subject. 1t is true that in
some instances the King has listened to the
appeals of his suffering people, and occa-
sionalIy addressed a note of suggestion or
recommendation, giving reasons for some