The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1893-07-21
LEPR0SY VACCINATION
CAN 1T BE COMMUNICATED BY
THIS MEANS2
Arm-to-Ar Vaccination Has Been Long
Out Of Date in Honolulu The
Vaccine Farm.


city and a representative of the STAR
the subject of the communicability &
leprosy by means of vaccination frmed
the principal topic, which incidentally
led to mention of the prospects of the
vaccine farm From information OBJ.
tanned from various sources it may
safely be asserted there was more or
less carelessness in vaccinatng years
ago, at a time when arm-to-arm vaCCi
nation had to be resorted to owing TO
difficulty in obtaining bovine virus, and
in isolated instances from the unsCrupu-
lous character of some OF the socalled
Government physicians who cared
more for the dollar fee than for the
health Of their patients and would vac
cinate with any kind of virus, SO long
as they got the fee. Bat it is to the
credit of the medical profession in these
islands that instances of this kind have
been very rare.
That eprosy can be communicated
by means of vaccination there can be
but little doubt in the light of recent
medical reports from India and other
places where the disease exists, and
also from the recorded experiences of
physicians here, but authenticated in
stances are extremely rare In nine
cases out of ten where vaccination is
given as the cause of leprosy a full in
vestigation will show that the dread
disease WAS communicated by other
means or inherited. The following
extract from paper on this subject,
written by physician of high repute
and many years experience with the
disease, will prove interesting reading
VACCINATION IN HONOLULU.
With US here in Hawaii, the first
desideratum in vaccination is absolute
surgical cleanliness of instrument and
virus, freedom from all possibility or
suspicion of syphilis, leprosy or any
such thing The next desderatum is
activity or availability of virus-virus
that will take. The very last consider
alton is speed of operation.
When | explain that this order OF
motives and of painstaking is made
necessary by the fact that our
community is made up of exceedingly
heterogeneous elements, and that lep
rosy and syphilis are not unknown tc
us as at all times prevalent disorders
do not misunderstood me to say thai
we are plague stricken with these dis.
eases.
| merely mean that they are here
and must be taken into the account
even in such a trihing little operation
as vaccination. As a wise precaution
therefore, we are pretty generally in the
habit Of discarding all knives, lancets
patent vacclnators, spring vacclnatOr'
or any labor saving instrument what
soever, as chargeable with bringing II
an element of uncertainty and danger
If one will insist on using a stee
point in vaccination, knife, or lancet
the proper course is for him to hold /
for a moment after each operation il
the flame of an alcohol lamp, 70
instance. But that takes time, ant
one does not have the lamp and thu
alcohol always with him in his travels
A better way, and one that is SO wei
known that it needs no mention, is t
use the clean ivory or quill slips tina
are SO often provided with vaccine
virus. One slip is used for eac
patient, and all danger of infection
thus avoided.
Clean steel pens also serve a goo
purpose, used in the same way
would regard it as a piece of crimina
carelessness to use the same lance
over and over again in vaccination
without adopting the most efficient pre-
cautions.
1t is also taboo thing with US her
to use arm-to-arm vaccination, |
fact, all human virus in vaccination
interdicted. Only bovine virus is EN-
plO)Cu' NiIb IL oSSiho w hiN 'li"' t'ii
is sound doctrine, not only for Homo
lulu, but for New York as well,
How is it possible for physician
under the ordinary conditions of prac
tice in public dispensary or clinic, t
vouch for the freedom of any mar
woman or child that may present hin
self for vaccination from the contagio
OF leprosy or syphlis3 do not SUI
pose that clinics in New York City az
any less crowded to-day than they wei
fifteen years ago, nor that there hf
been any notable increase in the purli
of morals and blood of its fixed {
floating population during the perio
mentioned. But rather the reverse
this is likely to be the truth, if the in
mense tide from Europe'S unwashe'
diseased millions has produced an c
feet proportionate to its magnltud
1t is we'll known that leprosy an
syphilis are among the diseases th(
bring in with them.
While / am strong believer in tt
communicating of leprosy, still ! a
not an alarmist, and do not think
such an easy matter to transfer success