The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1896-05-29

nC ICoOlullOn WdS
not intended to be demand on the
Board of Health, but simply a respect
ful suggestion.
Then followed about fifteen minutes
of talk back and forth between Reps.
Winston and Hanuna upon whether
the resolution should or should not he
adopted.
Finally Rep. Winston moved that the
resolution be presented to the Board of
Health as polite request and as hav-
ing been introduced in the House, but
not passed. Carried
Current Receipts bill taken up for
consideration.
Upon motion of Rep. Bond new
item of 5000 was inserted for balance of
salary of the Secretary of the Board of
Education for January, February,
March and April, 1896.
Upon motion the vote on passage of
Current Receipts bill in second reading
was reconsidered.
Rep. Bond moved that passage in
second reading be postponed until the
receipt of reports from the Board of
Health, recommending certain appro-
priations for the leper settlement at
Molokai. Carried.
House Bill No. 5, relating to the pre-
vention of blindness. taken I'D for con-
sideration in second reading.
Rep. Haia-I move that considera-
ton of bill be Indefinitely postponed l
think we are going just little too far
in trying to punish people for every
conceivable thing that happens. By
and by it will get to be so that a per-
son having a slight fever will have to
be reported to a doctor or the person
failing to do so will be liable to pun
iShment by fine. 1t seems very much
as if an attempt were being made to
rake up offenses for the purpose of pun
ishing them. By the proposed law ev-
cry one, whether desiring it or not. will
have to call in a doctor. There are
many people who are unable to pay
doctors bills. In a case of the kind
the poor person will have the choice of
paying the doctors bill or the fine.
You all know how it will be in the out
side districts. The doctor may be far
away and it may take more than six
hours to go to the place. Hardships of
all kinds will result l think the bill
is move in the wrong direction and
should not be allowed.
Rep. Rycroft-Our friend from Maui
has taken one view of the subject and
| have taken another He evidently
remembers a meeting the doctors held
short time ago and during which
they decided to double their fees. Now
then, the doctors are beginning at the
very bottom of the ladder Making an
early start, as it were, and are begin
ming with the babies. An entering
wedge will be the effect of passage of
this bill, and by and by all sorts of pc
culiarities will have to be reported TO
the doctors or be the means of enrich
ing the treasury of the Judiciary De-
partment. Why, by the time child is
10 years old he or she will cost $4,000.
Rep. Bond-This bill was introduced
at the request of physicians.
Rep. Rycroft-And was refused by
two members of the House.
Rep. Bond-The trouble is just here.
A great many midwives and nurses are
careless and through this carelessness
may result cases of blindness for life.
| know of one case of the kind, and the
doctors tell me there are many such.
| think it is a good thing to have a
law that will place penalty on care
lesSness.
Rep. Cluney-I don't think the doc
tors here know anything about eyes.
They do them more harm than good.
During the late rebellion | caught a
bad cold from exposure and incessant
smoking, and got case of sore eyes.
| went to one doctor and my eyes got
worse; then / went to another and
another, and they kept getting worse.
Then / took tumble to myself and,
quitting the doctors, went to work with
some simple remedy | had heard of and
b'gracious l got all right again. If / had
kept on going to the doctors I'd have
been stone blind by this time.
Rep Richards don't see how this
bill ever got in here in it's present form.
In the first and second lines the bill
reads, IF any midwife or nurse hav-
ing charge of an infant shall notice
that one or both eyes of such infant are
infiamed or redding, ETC." Now then,
supposing the midwife or nurse does
not notice this, what are you going to
do about it?
Rep. Rycroft-Yes, and supposing
the poor nurse or midwife is blind and
can't see that the child's eyes have
taken on funny color-I wonder what
then.
Rep. Richards-If passed this way it
is no use to any one.
Rep. Kamauoha-I think that the
Legislature will have big contract on
its hands if it seeks to regulate every
disease that the flesh is heir to. BY
and by bill regarding deafness will
be brought in. This law, if adopted,
will only apply to people of means
anyway. There are but comparatively
few people who are able to hire nurses
or midwives. The poor people do not
employ these. 1t looks very much to
me as if the doctors were trying to get
a chance to charge their big fees they
talk about, through the medium of this
bill
Upon being put to vote the bill was
Indefinitely postponed with an over