Saturday press. [volume] (Honolulu, H.I.) 1880-1885, 1884-06-07
though, Of such a change is contempla

though in many instances
shrewd and logical, should not be al
lowed to 20 for gospel Mr. Myers,
the agent of the board of health, who
answers Doctor Stallard, we know.
The report of Mr.. Fitch is only on
par with the former literary productions
OF that gentleman-for imprudent as
sertion, vulgarity and want of logic
and grammar. they are unsurpassed. /
He says, as nearly as he has been able !
to keep the record during the last IS
months, the everagc daily attendance |
at the dispensary has been about 50
patients; but thinks, in reality the num-
Der per day was title short of 10 and !
that the total number Of visits to pa
tients at their homes, was 1854 but
says Here again many visits have
escaped registration, there being such a
press OF work that minor points OF ser
vice escape record" Such guessing
at statistics is anything but satisfactory
in matters relating to so important a
matter as the public health. Accord
ing even to his own guessing, the aver
age number of patients attended by
him, at the dispensary and at their own
homes, could not have been much in
excess of IS per day, and yet attention
to this small number induced "such a
press of work." that it disabled HIM
from keeping a correct record of his
doings. BY these statistics, if such
they can be called, it would appear that
the ability ofMr. Fitch for work has kept
pace in rapid decline with the number
of patients presenting themselves per
day, from what used to be the case but
a short time since. AT the libel suit, in
July last, he testified to having treated
over three hundred patients in single
day, during four Office hours, besides
recording them all. Butnotwithstand-
ding this rapid declinedin physical abil-
ity, his affection for the Hawaiian
abateth not a iot or title, and he tells
again Of their "kindly loving nature;;"
the beauty Of his picture, however, Of
this kindliness and io0ingness, is some
what spoiled by an indiscretemanipula-
ton of the details, and he has forgotten
himself SO far as to apostrophize as
follows ASK them to do anything
for any, not friend or relative and see
how much you would get them to dc" !"
He speaks of the Immoral condition of
Kalawao;" but not of such condition,
as having been under the late manage
ment, existent at Kakaako; nor has he
offered any explanation of that myster-
ious disturbance at the lazaretto, where
in revolvers and policemen were nee
essary to the protection of the then
steward or why he was removed SO
soon after Mr.. Fitch does not be-
lieve in the infection or contagion OF
leprosy, but does believe in segregation.
He would enforce the forfeiture of hui
man liberty in leprous cases on the
principle that no ugly or deformed
person has any right to be at large in
a community" He winds up this
rambling, senseless, brutal and untrust-
worthy report, by assuring his readers
of his belief that, with another two
years of his valuable labors spent here,
'every one will be able to see that this
dread scourge has spent its fury y nol
does he forget to laud the faithful
services of the one man after his own
t heart-Mr. ]. H. Van Giesen.
From the noisome production just
considered; we gladly turn to the report
, ola philanthropist, scholar, and a gen
, tleman; but we regret that the latenes:
! of the day when we first could get &
sight at the report, prevents us from
, giving it in that full consideration
: which it so emtnently deserves. A
Y another time We shall endeavor to dea
a with it more at length. The report o
e ID. Edward Arningis brief, but to tn,
: point He begins by expressing hi
r surprise at two things-That lepros,
n here should have been represented t.
him as of an Exceptionally malignan
type, @ttkilling its victims in from thre
a to five years." when he finds its dura
d ton equal to that ofthe disease in othe
c countries; also that Mr.. Fitch's wonder
:, full hypothesis should have found Gre
d dence anywhere. He speaks Of it a
It being $50 extraordinary and self cor
J. demning" as to 'need no refutation,
j. were it not for the fact, that it has bee
1t so "energetically brought before tn
$ public, and found believers" But il
7, view of this fact he says: 81 conslde
s it my duty to support with the full fore
e of my opinion, the endeavors Of othe
n members of the medical profession
II who have already, some time ago, re
n futed this idea. He considers tina
d the misleading effects of such theory
II upon the public mind, may be ATTENDED
n with grave results He briefly dc
y scribes in plain and untechnical way
e the nature OF the work he has alread
L found bacillus in every case Of tuber
y cular leprosy so far examined and ha
h been unable to find the same 6aeila
&C in any other disease. He says: "A
regards treatment Of the disease,
consider it altogether unwarrantable
'r call leprosy incurable, and simply I
T. remove the afflicted out Of sight, an
ut speaks OF such treatement as a rem
he nant Of mediHval barbarism whic
10 every professional man ought to oppose
y. He says there are numerous case:
of initial leprosy among the rising geI
es Grafton in whom there is hope Of cul
y and recommends the establishment
or a special asylum fortheir segregation an
is treatment Withregardto theques,ion
II. contagion, he says Ave know tn
to eprosy is dependent on the invasie
b Of the human body by microscop
II, germ which has the power to increa
n indefinitely in the tissues. Thereto
er We must look upon every single lep
-e- as a ho,-bed Of disease, quite indepe
IN l....l.. ..l IL. .xaca 1.and,tior, md