The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1897-10-12
HONOLULU IS THE WORST
ERROR MADE ny DIR. WATTS OF
LONDON.



Dir. w. c. Watts, b. \. Ballot College.
Oxford, NJ. d., Guys Hospital, London:
member of the Royal College of Sur
geons, and Licentiate of the Royal
College of Physicians, passed through
Honolulu on the last oceanic steamer.
EN- route from Australia to San Fran
cisco.
He did not stop over in Honolulu
but upon his arrival in San Francisco
gave it as his impression that Homo
lulu is in the worst condition as far
as leprosy is concerned of any place
on earth. DIR. Watts admitted that he
had no opportunity for careful study
here. Had he had opportunity and
availed himself of it, he would have
learned that Honolulu is not the
worst place on earth, and further
more that leprosy is decidedly on the
decrease in these Islands.
DIR. Watts has studied leprosy for
the last seven years. He is on his way
home to London to write a thesis on
the subject for the purpose of attain
ing the degree of Fellow of the ROYAL
College of Physicians.
Discussing leprosy and his extensive
Investigations of the disease in Aus
tralia he says:
"Leprosy is absolutely not conta-
gious. How the bacilli enter the body
is not yet known to medical men.
Whether it is through the air. or by
by the handling of leprous person.
or through closer physical contact
has been the question.
81 do not think the disease can be
contracted from simple handling of
leper. | have handled many.
"Leprosy is on the decrease in Aus
tralia. This is so because of careful
medical regulations to prevent it's
spreading.
Generally speaking, leprosy is not
a bit more contagious now than it
was in the time of Christ. Egypt to-
day swarms with lepers who go about
freely soliciting aims. They keep you
at distance by stick at the end of
which is a little bag into which you
may drop coins.
81 contend that leprosy is simply
an advanced form of syphilis.
Syphilis leads to it. A tendency tow
ards leprosy can absolutely be stopped
before it reaches that stage.
ut takes two years to prove case
of leprosy that is developing.
"Leprosy is finally plainly indicat-
ed by tiny blue scale close in against
the base of the finger nails. These
scales peel off.
Il visited all the lazarettos in Aus
tralia. There are four in Queensland.
with total of seventy-two lepers:
three in Victoria, with total of for
ty-two, a few of whom are vet ques-
toned; one in New Zealand, with
twenty-eight, ) per cent of whom are
still undetermined, and one in New
South Wales with thirty-seven.
''This New South Wales lazaretto is
at Little Bay. 1t is maintained by the
government and is an admirable in
stitution. I spent nine months there.
Through the government health in
spector I was granted special permits
ton of the patients.
This lazaretto is admirably locat-
ed and faces directly upon the deep
wafer of the bay. The lepers are all
kept isolated from the attendants af
the station. Their food is sent to
them by little trolley system. The
uoclor lnSpeclS them as 1neN STAND
within barred corridor
The regulations require that persons
entering the building shall wear rub
Der masks and rubber gloves as an eX-
ira precaution. | took both masks and
gloves off and freely handled the lep-
ers, and | have not leprosy.
The lepers in all these lazarettos
are for the most part Cinnamon. At
Little Bay however, there is a colonel
of the English army. He has been
there for four years. | could not as
certain his name. He. like the other
patients has every convenience ne
could wish for-nice beds, nice room
furnishings and generally better APP
pointments than could be found out
side
There was little white girl there
who died recently at the age of II.
She had been there for three years.
Hers was an exceptional case. How
she got the disease is not known. She
belonged to man named Gillian. one
of the chief restaurteurs of sydney,
who has large place in Pitt street
in Apia | saw no lepersEonly
few eleDhantiasis cases. The conta-
giOus disease act is i'm force there and
to great effect. u
From facial and exterior indica-
tons alone | noticed that 90 per cent
of the women of Apia had either small
poX or syphilis.