The Hawaiian gazette., 1890-06-10

Va ~ ~ ~ 10 ouSSOcoSN Sh@O VI "
"Kapiolani Home" be removed to
the vicinity of the Kalihi Re-
ceiving station to secure the fullest
usefulness of that noble institution
and because of the insalubrity of it's
present location. The need for
such a house for. boys is suggested
and its establishment is recon-
mended. The cost of such a build
ing with its equipment as well as a
Memorial Hospital to Father
Damien, the erection of which at
MoIokai is elsewhere urged, might
be borne by those who are eager to
give something to this unfortunate
class of people, but who do not
know just how or what to give.
The report of DIR. Swift the resident
physician at the Molokai settlement
appears as Appendix G. Perhaps
the most interesting thing it con-
tains is the remark that the disease
appears to be undergoing rapid
modification and assuming an en-
tirely new type in the Islands. DR..
Aiming made like remark before
the Honolulu Social Science Assoc
citation few years ago in which
he also intimated that it was not
unlikely to run itself out in a short
course of time, using the simile Of
vegetable growths which have run
a course of introduction, luXurlant
growth and gradual deterioration
with final extinction. According
to DR.. Swift the location of the vii
lage at Kalawao is bad owing
partly to the great and sudden
transitions in temperature and
partly to the ovorcrowded burying
ground whence malario US exhala.
tons exade. Perhaps this burial
of lepers may be more injurious
than we know of, for it is held on
high authority that the leprous
germ is not destroyed by the burial
of dead body. On the contrary
it thrives for time certainly and
is not unlikely to penetrate wells
and springs communicating them
thereby. 1t would seem as if the
only true sanitation would be Gre
nation of the dead. The subject
of cremation an important one in
our tropical climate is not treated
at all in the report. The report Of
Mr.. Meyers, Appendix l. gives
minute statistics of the leper settle
ment. 1t appears that the total
population is 1857 of whom LBS
are lepers, kokuas" or helpers
1856, children, not lepers 40, olig.
inal inhabitants 81 and Is others
occupying various stat ons of trust
or service. Of these 6 are Sisters
of Charity, 2 Catholic priests,
Protestant pastor, etc. There is al
last competent resident manager
Mr.. Evans. Mr.. Meyers differs in
his table of the percentage o.
deaths, with that of the President
of the Board. He makes it 25.3z
in place of 1920. The statistics Of
lepers differs also to considerable
number. He justly calls attention
to the nuisance of dogs, as well as
that of horses, of which there are
1856. Some lepers own from to /;
of them, to the damage of the gen
eral property. 1t is suggested thai
the number should be decreased t.
one horse for each family which
certainly appears ample. The Gov
eminent owns 1876 buildings many
of which have been erected during
the last biennial period, and the
settlement is now well equipped il
that respect. Lepers have built
and own over 235 houses. The
spiritual needs of the people appear
to be pretty well provided for il
two Roman Catholic, two Protes.
tant and two Mormon churches
There are also two prisons. Al
ample supply of pure water is
obtained by well-constructed sys
tenn of waterworks, also put IN dur
ing the last two years. Each
patient is supplied with a ten dol
lar order on the store each year
besides ample weekly rations
These comprise the following arti-
cles: rice, -four, bread, poi, sweet
potatoes, sugar, beef sometimes
mutton), salmon: oil, soap, matches
kalo -four, fish, salt, firewood. The
average number of those who re
ceive rations has been l ,036-8. The
cost per capita is about 83-42. The
% Chinese lepers live up to their
nature and drive a profitable bust
ness IN cakes, etc., besides encour-
aging the vices of gambling, opium
using and drinking Perhaps Mr.
Meyers is hard upon them. The
people at the settlement appear to
have money and actually have sent
away s943 during the past two
years. One of the features of great
encouragement IN fighting the dis
ease is the increasing confidence OF