The Hawaiian gazette., 1890-06-10

tlOnaDly the mortality from gym
otto diseases must have been very
much greater. The water supply
is, however, comparatively good
and abundant excepting upon rare
occasions, but it is shown chat even
the water supply is more or less
contaminated. Examinations seem
to have been made into several sys-
TENS of filtering water and the rec
ommendation is made that the ely
att Pure Water System should be
adopted for Honolulu. The recon
incubation has apparently been re-
garded in the application made by
the Minister of the Interior, as APP
pears in the Finance report, in the
estimates, for an appropriation for
. filtering reservoir. The matter
of sewage is perhaps the most
difficult that presents itself for
solution in our sanitary problems.
The only system which is sug-
gested by the report, and that indi-
rectly, is to have the sewage of the
town thrown into the ocean at
some point where it would be taken
| by the current which sweeps to
the west and carried away, but the
report seems to show that no def
mite opinion has yet been reached
by the health authorities. Should
any system of underground sewage
be adopted of this kind the very
slight grade upon which Honolulu
stands would make it necessary
that artificial means be used, and
that frequently, to get rid Of the
surface material. 1t seems doubt
full whether flushing alone would
do it. 1t might be necessary to
have pumps such as are used in
several places of the United States
and Europe, But the question is
imperative and must be decided
very soon or, as the Doctor says in
the report, Honolulu, instead of
being as it now is one of the most
healthsome of cities, would offer a
standing and urgent invitation for
visits from cholera, yellow fever
and typhus and all that class Of
disease"
In connection with the matter of
sewerage we naturally find refer
ence to the various epidemics
which have visited Honolulu and,
to some extent, the islands during
the past two years. 1t appears
that there have been two epidemics
of measles, the first in latter part
of 1888, again late in 1889, when it
was introduced by Portuguese
family, and still exists In our midst,
but, if the number of deaths result
ing from epidemics is to decide the
fatal character thereof, whooping
cough takes the palm claiming
ninety-one deaths to eleven from
measles. The whooplng cough was
prevalent in the latter part of the
year 1888.
Reference is also made to the IN
fluenza, la grippe, or, as it was first
called, the Russian Disease, which
appeared in this city early in Janu-
airy of the present year, and which,
while not very fatal, yet appar-
emily induced physical conditions
which resulted in inviting other
diseases from which death ensued.
The alarming but fortunately
short lived outbreak of dlptheria is
also spoken of. Three deaths were
caused thereby. The history of
this is so thoroughly known that it
will not be further referred to. 1t
would have been interesting, how
ever, to have had the opinions of
the physicians, through the report,
as to what caused the disease. 1t
is stated upon page "a that " it
was thought that sufficient local
causes existed on the premises
where the disease proved so fatal
to account for its presence. But
1t is supposed, indeed positively
stated, by some medical authorities
that diptheria is not self germlnat-
ing, and, if this be so, the mere
presence of filth of any kind would
apparently not be sufficient to cause
an outbreak of the disease.
In connection with the matter of
public, mortality. attention is again
called to the scourge of the native
kahuna. Several instances are
| given in which it seems positive
that deaths were caused by the
practices of these persons. Perhaps
their power for evil is even greater
from the fact that they now procure
some of the powerful drugs of the
pharmacopia which are used in
some cases in addition to or with
the Hawaiian herbs. Wherever q
skilled physician was called in after
the kahuna had practiced and the
patients were too far gone to re-
cover, or might have died in any
case, these people have invariably
charged the deaths to the foreign