Saturday press. [volume] (Honolulu, H.I.) 1880-1885, 1884-08-02

10 the branch hospital, WhIlc OF these
again, 56s were sent TO Molokai,
and % were discharged from the hos
pital on probation, 20 subsequently
returning to it," Mr. Fitch, in his
report, tells US that from the opening
Of the branch hospital in December
1881 to June 1891, ro5 persons we're
received at that establishment He
adds Prom June Ist 1882 to Apri
Ist, 1884, AT persons were received
at kakawaO, and a number sent to
KalaakaO direct / do not know the
exact number, but we shall be safe to
Say that tor the twenty months named
the number was 45o--or an averagr OF
200 4 year He adds "Comment on
this showing would be superfuous.'
We propose offering a few comments
on the above figures and will leave
our readers to Judge whether or not
they are "supcriluous" Our first com
mcnt is that the official arithmetic is
very much sut Of the accurate. From
June Ist 1873, to April Ist 1884 is not
twenty months, as Mr.. Fitch states, but
twenty two F6Ht hmd,td anu my
eaSeS for twenty months or twenty two
months either, is not an average of 200
These may seem unimportant errors
but IN matters of figures and arithmetcal
calculations there Is no excuse for any
errors at all, and these loose figures
serve to illustrate the general mac
curacy and unreliability Of everything
which emanatcs from our present
health authorities What dependence
can be placed in any statistics fur.
nished by man who tells us that $50
for twenty months is an average of 200
a year -----
The next comment we have to make
is that though We have what purports
to be the total number Of lcpers arrest
ed and segregated in two years, We are
not told how many of them were from
Honolulu and how many from other
parts OF the country. Neither are
we informed how many lcpers have
been recognized and reported BY the
government physicians, or how many
have been under treatment. In short,
We are furnished with no data what
ever from which to Judge OF the mum
Der of known cases OF leprosy now at
large. Notwithstanding the relicence
OF the board of health We are, BY
means OF information cleaned from
! other sources, IN position to shed a
little light on this subject. According
to Mcssrs. Gibson and Fitch, the total
number OF persons condemned as lep-
ers from December ~, 1881 to March
81, I884-He0'lr f7oyHG-(ight moH&S
was about $50, OF whom about twelve
per cent were subsequently released on
probation. According to the records
of the dispensary on Maunakea street,
the number of lepers who applied for
treatment at that place from December
1881, to the end OF ISS,-o6oW Mir-
ten monIhS nearly one thousand.
| Now, the five hundred and odd lepers
board OF health are not the cases from
this district only, but include those
gathered in from the whole kingdom
So 1t appears that the total number OF
lepers segregated from the entire coun-
| try IN twenty eigfn months, was only a
little over half the mumber who applied
for treatment at the Honolulu Dis
pensary alone in thirteen months.
These dispensary cases do not include
those put down rs doubtful" "lepro-
CO A..
any similar head. Every one of these
nine hundred and odd cases is entered
on the dispensary books in the hand
writing of Mr.. Fitch, as "leprosy and
nothing else. Now, if nearly one thou
sand lepers applied to Mr. Fitch in per
son, up to the end of 1882, how many
more were there in the fifteen months
which elapsed between that date and
the end OF the biennial period1 And if
all these lepers passed through Mr..
Fitch's hands in Honolulu alone, what
must have been the numbers for the
whole kingdom These questions We
are unable to answer, for the simple
reason that the records are not accessi.
BILE to the public, and the board OF
health has been careful to furnish no
information on which to base an esti-
mate. In view, however, OF the figures
given by Messrs. Gibson and Fitch OF
the lepers actually segregated, and in
view also Of the figures We have given
above, for the correctness of which we
vouch, We think il very fair inference
that of all the cases of leprosy which
have come to light within the last two
years and half, and which have been
recognized and recorded rs such by
the government physicians, at haSi
3ao-khty6s are SnH az large. The only
logical way of escape from this con
clusion is to declare that the govern
ment physicians, and particularly MIR.
I Fitch, do not know a case ot leprosy
when they see il But even this line
of defense, humiliating as il would be,
Is not available for the government.
Saying nothing of the numbers segre.
gated, but looking only at the number
reported by MIR Gibson as having
been arrested and examined, there still
remains the indisputablc fact that
several hundred Of the cases recorded
by Mr. Fitch have never been sub
jected to any further examination what
ever. Ii Mr. Gibson cares to deny
our hgures, We are prepared to prove
the correctness of our statement when
ever he will produce the records, Il
he has any explanation to offer for SC
grave neglect OF duty, ii is high time
/, Was offered In Justice TO govern
ment physicians--a majority OF whom
We believe to be capable and honorable