The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1895-05-25

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| which I had to live: dreary, aban-
| doned desert without blade of grass,
| without a sign of former occupancy.
| had to clear up both and, struggling
| with difficulties, told myself that
| will treat my successor better; will
| leave him a garden and some sanitary
notes that might serve as a guide in
! the beginning. If not anybody else,
| at least he may be thankful for sugges-
| tions given in this paper.
Nature, in its infinite variety of
| forms and processes of every descrip-
| ton, battles all our artificial systems
| of classification. a student of nature
| and we are nothing but ignorant
! students our lifelong II knocks daily
against objects and phenomena which,
| without considerable strain, cannot be
referred to either of the rubrics
| drawn up in our text books. In pa
thology perhaps more than anywhere.
| Every Individual case, no matter how
| plain, in reality is a complicated phe-
nomenon resulting from com binatiOn
! OF numerous external and internal
| agencies and conditions. To be salts
| tied with such labels as typhoid fever,
| typhoid malaria, pneumonia, etc.,
| without mentioning the less rational
| Ones-means TO follow in diagnostics
| and therapeutics the trodden paths of
empiricism of the toughest kind; to
proceed blindfolded over gulches,
swamps and rocks, with many a chance
to break if not our own, at least our
patients necks.
Hence the necessity of indiUjduaL-
izing each case, to wit: of unravelling
the Intricate knot of internal, consti-
tutiOnal on one hand, and of external,
climatic and other numerous agencies
peculiar to the time and place of ac-
cident. Such is the difficult problem
offered to a modern physician at every
consultation, and his ability of master
ing it makes up the principal distinc-
tion between himself and an ordinary
medicine man,
Since under the term "climate" we
understand the vast natural group of
external agencies and conditions es-
sential to health and disease, the ac-
quaintance with all their peculiarities
furnishes the most important data for
such NATURALIZATION. Of course the
character of the race, the degree of its
culture, economical and social condi-
t1Ons, have all very much to say, still
climate remains the principal agency
and the first object for consideration. |
A condition of health as we'll as that |
of disease, represents certain state of
dynamical equilibrium between ex- |
ternal and internal agencies, an equa- |
ton composed of numerous terms on |
both sides. The chief term on the part |
of internal conditions is the 10OWer of |
resistance, inherent to every system, |
the cLief term on the opposite side is
climate. A rational solution of a |
problem is impossible unless both |
terms are thoroughly understood and !
appreciated.
History teaches us that destinies of
a nation are in general outlines de-
termined in advance by the physical
conditions of the country. Among
those physical conditions climate is
certainly the most prominent. The
degree of energy, of material and |
spiritual welfare of the Inhabitants
past, present and future, chiefly de-
pend upon it. One could fill many !
pages by quoting the influence of
malaria alone, in places once thickly |
populated and fOurishing, now turned !
into dreary deserts. Think only of !
AgU TODl0gelt111 of the time Of August, !
and of the present pOutian swamps. |
If this is true, our Indifference to the J
climatic problems of these islands is /
incOnceivable and ineXcusable. i /
know of extensive works regarding |
Hawaiian volcanoes, Hawaiian fora, !
Hawaiian history, mythology, fishes, !
and shells, but there is nothing re- !
garding Hawaiian climate. All L /
could find in this line besides general I.
incidental remarks of various travellers !
and tourists, were the two small ar
ticles; one in the Hawaiian pamphlets !
for 1853, and another in the Hawaiian
Spectator for 1888. The topic is per-
fectly abandoned for forty years, al
though there is more material than
ever in many exact meteorological
observations taken in this period, !
especially in Honolulu.
But leaving all these higher inter
ests aside there are topics of imme-
diate practical value, which ought to
revive our concern In the climate Of
Hawaii. The most important of these
is perhaps the health OF this city-the
headquarters of the white population.
Those who practice here have certain
ly more knowledge and authority to
speak on this subject. My opinion
that it is far from being excellent is
based merely upon superficial observ-
alton.
When landed in Honolulu three
years ago my impression was
that Iuxuriousness of vegetation and
the looks Of citizens moving on the
streets were in an inverse ratio. /
was rather surprised how seldom
healthy, robust, rOsy-cheeked child,
man or woman is met here. The
Luln, meagTe, pare, anaemlcj uellcate
constitutions were more a rule than
an exception. When / asked my
companion, who knew more about
the city and the islands than myself,
what may be the cause of it, he sim
ply said: ooh, they look all that way
in all tropical countries - My i'm
preston whether right or wrong was
cOrrObOrated by many a tourist, to
whom [ have spoken on the subject
and I am still inclined to believe that
in spite Of easy life, a relatively high
material welfare Of the bulk of popu-
lation, in spite of all comforts con-
nected with it, an average citizen in
matter Of health here is much inferior
to that OF our northern and moderate
latitude cities of the same size with
more or less satisfactory sanitary
arrangements. That the cause OF this