The San Francisco call., 1897-12-24
a LEPRoUS PROVINCE.

|
leprosy which will appear upon annexation OF
Hawaii. According to many advocates of annexa-
ton, that simple change of sovereignty is to work
such immediate modification of tropical conditions
as to make plantation labor summer holiday for
Anglo-Saxons and is to make all white people I'M
nune to leprosy, which is believed to affect 10
per cent OF the people of the islands. Absorption
into our political system will so increase the
facts had with the islands as to increase the risk of
| contagon by any endemic disease that may prevail
there.
Science does not share the cheerfuness with which
annexationsts put forward the opposite view In the
North American Review for November Dr. Prince
A. Morrow thoughtfully considers annexation and
leprosy.
OF the islands he says: "Their maritime impor
tance to this country, the advantages which would
follow annexation from commercial standpoint,
have been fully set FORTH but the sanitary aspects OF
the scheme have received no attention. When it is
considered that than 10 per cent OF the
Hawaiians affected by leprosy it becomes a
serious question to what will be the effect of the
absorption OF this tainted population upon the health
interests OF this country"
DR.. Morrow shows that for centuries leprosy had
disappeared from civilized countries and its reap
pearance like a resurrection To-day it prevails
over more than one-fourth the surface of the globe
and has its chief seat and center in Hawaii Since
the establishment of the leper settlement in 1866 5000
cases have been sent there and over 1000 have died
10 care for these lepers requires oneenth OF all the
revenues of the Government. The disease is no re-
specter of natonalities Though supposed to have
been introduced by the Chinese and therefore called
by the natives mai paka (the Chinese dsease), it has
spread to the natives of every country and every
that may be found in Hawaii. 1t is not limited to
low life either, but appears in every OF society
II, ~
OF the victims Chinese and whites while in 1896
the number of whites had risen to per cent of the
whole, and DR.. Mauritz, formerly resident physician
at Molokai, January I, 1897, said: within the
past year two the disease is making considerable
nroads among the whites"
1t is believed that but small number of the white
cases sent Molokai and these from the poorer
classes, is suspected to be the practice of the
authorities let the weather whites escape from the
islands and go elsewhere to die or seek treatment
In this way the bacillus leprae is being distributed
from that Its incubation is for an uncertain
period 1t may be few minutes many years after
it is taken into healthy person from tainted be-
fore it appears.
DR.. Morrow says that in the event OF annexation
it would be idle to think of confning leprosy to the
islands, rather excluding it from this country by
quarantine" 1t will find congenal culture bed in
that part of the United States which is warm and
semi-tropical, where, he says, "it spreads It's ad
is insidious, and before the health authorities
awaken to realization of the danger it has made
such headway that its further progress cannot be
rested All these facts should be carefully considered
and their importance from a sanitary point of view
carefully weighed by Legislative authorities before
deciding to Hawaii with its leprous popula-
ton"
These are the conclusions of disinterested man of
science and they sound warning which adds to the
rising note of dsapproval of annexation