Los Angeles daily herald., 1886-03-28

By ". Haean, W. D., Los Angeles,
Late Hawaiian Insane Asylum.

origin. Some are old. some are new
some are finished and some are un6n
ished. From year to year rivers o
liquid boiling lava pass down from SOM
Of the burning craters. reaching the sci
and adding miles Of additional coast
Each island is simply a noun
tain rising from the sea; the top of eacl
is rough craggy and uninhnbItable
Down the mountain slope near the SET
the old lava stone is decomposed, form
ing belts Of arabic lands, with some in
terruptions, extending around thu
Islands. This Is the inhabitablo sret
aud sustaina as dense population il
proportion to the acreage as any land
in the world. Here Is the only known
soil that yields eight tons of sugar to the
acre. But nine-tenths of the surface
Of these islands Is yet covered with lava
stone. undeeomposed, and about as val.
liable for agricultural purposes rs flag.
stone pavement.
Many places the mountain slopes ex
tend down to the beach, making
excellent landing for large ves-
sells, but In the main the
sea coast is rock-bound and eliffy. These
lofty cliffs are trenched or gashed here
and there with deep cafion-like ravines
that open back into small valleys sur
rounded by abrupt mountain walls.
These valleys are accessible only from
the sea, but the natives are skillful nav
gators and reach them in their canoes.
The soil of these little valleys is very
rich and favors the mostprodigal growth
of trees aud vegetation. The natives.
after reaching these secluded spots.
have an easy existence, subsisting
mainly on tropical fruits. vegetables and
fish.
When lepers, therefore, wish to con-
ceal themselves or escape segregation,
they have only TO enter these tropical
| ungles. The lepers of the Hawaiian
Islands have never been counted, and a
thorough segregation is an impossibility.
When the ravages of the disease became
so alarming, one of the group of islands
was given up for the leper home. Great
| difficulty has been experienced by the
authorities in wedding out and exiting
| this class of sufferers. When the peri
odc searches are made they flee to the
mountains, hide in the caves, in forests
and in jungles until the search is over
for the time, they then retdrn and live
with their families and their friends.
| There are at present accounted for and
| in the hands OF the authorities about
two thousand lepers, the great majority
of whom have been adiudged civilly
dead and have been segregated on the
\ Island of Molokai. Over two hundred
| children ale there condemned to die.
| with the disease transmitted from their
parents. Beyond any question of doubt
| this is the most horrible collection of
| lepers on earth. The typically altered
| face, the thickened skin from general in
| filtration, the immense tumefaction of
| the frontal and supra-orbital folds, sag
| ging down over the eyes, the cheeks
with pilow-like protuberances, covered
| with broad weals, the nose nodulated
and broadened, the ears loaded with
| neoplastic deposit, and the swollen lips
| mark the physiognomy OF the average
| leper, Then follows the period OF de-
cay, their bloated fostering faces and
their anasthetic liberated limbs render
| them simply repulsive caricatures OF the
| HuUiHu lntJ uiO NV uhuSuhiiJ
ds6gured by the loss of the nose, the
| eyes and the ears, and their extremitles
with the loss of fingers and toes. The
atmosphere about these poor sufferers
has the sickening odor of tho dead,
To the delightful climate of the
Islands can not be charged the
origin of this loathsome and fatal
disorder, but to the result OF the impor-
tation and incubation of the natives
with specific poison or germ from
foreign nation. The very temperature
prevails here that is most conducive to
health and long life. A hot day is never
known, and the nights are always COM
fortably cool. The thermometer ranges
from 60 to 80 degrees and the breezes
from the sea render the air pure and
wholesome. Nor can this disease be at
tributed to the food of the natives. The
living of the Hawaiian is probably sup
erior to that of aay other tropical peo-
pie in the world; and on the whole, lit.
tle if any inferior to the working classes
of America. He has plenty OF beef,
pork, fish, flour, fruits aud vegetables,
but he prefers his own taro. vegetable
that grows similar to the turnip and is
found to be the most nourishing and pro-
life food plant in the world. One
square ward of taro planted in GOO d
soil will yield food enough to support a
man for one year. Neither food Or eli
mate can be charged as factors IN pro.
ducing leprosy on the Islands. The di.
sease was evidently brought from for.
eign country and the natives trace it d.
rectly to the Chinese, and have al ways
called it the "Chinese disease" Mai
Paka)
The first case is not traditionary
Many persons are yet living that saw
and knew the facts pertaining to this in
dividual case. DIR. Baldwin, a mission
airy physician, now 81 years old, reached
the Islands before leprosy did, and is
living there yet. He says the first case
occurred among the natives in 1893.
This case developed in family where
there was employed Chinese domestic
suffering with the same disease, DR.. b.
claims to have watched this, and sue
ceeding cases, until the disease became
common in the kingdom. He says after
a period of from seven to ten years the
disease not only showed itself in Other
members of tho family, but among the
friends of the family, and continued to
spread in such way that long before
they knew the name of the malady they
were sure it was q blood disease and
clearly contagious. They observed that
where one of these infected persons
associated with an uncontaminated
family or community, sooner or later the
same loathsome disease followed in bis
wake,
Twenty-Five years ago the corps oil
physicians in Honolulu was greatly
strengthened by the addition Of such
highly educated medical men al
DIR. Trousseau, DR.. Hilderbsand and DR.
Stangewald. The latter gentleman had
spent some years studying leprosy in
India. They commenced the study and
treatment of the disease with q preat
deal of zeal and enthusiasm. TheiI
supply of patients was inexhaustible
and better opportunity was given
medical men for the study OF any special
disease. The result of their treatment
was negative, as well as that of all 9th
er medical men that had experimental
on the disease. In consultation of all
the physicians of the kingdom in 1864,
system of segregation was recommend.
ed as the only means of saving the
Hawaiian people.
The habits and customs of these peo-
pie disclose the causes of the wide and
rapid spread of leprosy among them.
The Hawaiians are the most amiable,
good natured, social people on earth.
Life without society to them is unbear.
able, and crumb of bread or dish of
poi is not palatable unless they can
share it with friend. They are always
visiting from island to island and con-
gregatipg together, never excluding any
on account Of disease, however conta-
gious or loathsome. They surround
smallpox sufferers and kiss, embrace and
sleep with lepers without any suspicion
of results. They smoke the same pipe
and drink from the same cup.
Now in view of the history and spread
of the disease among this people, the
| conclusion is Irresistible that IAnrooy 10