The San Francisco call., 1897-10-14

licp, leaves no room to doubt that the con-
dition of things there is most alarming
Leprosy would thrive in California ano
the glorious climate of Southern Cailfor-
MIA would be especially favorable to us
propagation Catalina Island would DC
a nice warm place for the affil cted. There
they could have plenty OF PACING water
and go fishing and live easy on the bone
less barracuda, and find the greatest pos
slbe enjoyment in death. In the event OF
annexation. however, there might De
some compensation for others, Tor II Is
possible if the doors of our insane asylumS
were thrown open 10 lepers the expense OF
maintaining these institutions might IN
time be somewhat less burdensome to the
taxpayers.
There is but one way in which leprosy
can be stamped out CT the Sandwich ISL
ands and that is for the Hawaiian GoV-
ernment to frequently lasso every man.
woman and child and carefully inspect
the person OF each and from each take
drop OF blood and have il carefully exam
lned, segregate the clean from the un-
clean and destroy every vestlge OF cioth-
ing left by and every utensil used or
touched by the latter. THESE measures
would, OF course, involve the Government
in such additional expense that Japan
would be com PEELED to foreClose lis mort
gage, though that would not matter much,
for it is proba bic there would then be lett
but few subjects to be governed-except
perhaps few of the Chinese and Japan
ese contract slaves, who, it is estimated
constitute at present more than three
ffths OF the entire population OF the ISL
ands.
| No ordinary quarantine is sufficient 10
keep leprosy out of California. Lepers
| from China and Portugal, and especially
from the Sandwich Islands, are now ana
have been for years slipping by our ol-
| ticials, and are frequently at large in San
| Francisco, Oakland and elsewhere through
| out the State for weeks or months before
| being arrested. Already the pesthouse III
| San Fran is a leper asylum, anu Call-
! fornia has even now reached the dl5unc-
tion of being rated leper State by tue
| latest and best medical authority on the
| subject prince A. Morrow's Dermatology,
etc, volume 3, page 563).
| Nothing short OF most Tgld quaran-
! tine, most painstaking examination OF
| the persons OF emigrants arriving at ouI
I ports, the shedding of little OF thelI
| blood for the purposes of investigation and
| the keeping of all emigrants from Ieprous
countries under perpetual surveillance can
prevent leprosv becoming permanently
ende in the United States.
The immigra lion laws should be strictly
en- forced against all Hawailans coming tC
! this country. They should not only not
! be admitted to citizenship, but should be
| kept track of Dy boards OF health and ex'
amined from time to time, and whenever
| there arises the least sus picion of their be.
coming lepers they should Immediately be
| sent home. 1t would also be proper pre-
caution to prevent our citizens visiting
! the islands, or, if that cannot be done
! treat them on their return as aliens from
an infected port--examine them critically
and let the health officials watch them
ever afterward. 1t is probable, however
| before the people of this country awake tc
| the danger that is now threatening them
! from the "Dole-ful' government acros;
he sea leprosY will become as deeply
rooted here and as ineradicable as is con
! sumption.
Leprosy is blight upon fair Hawaii
it has driven the Queen from her throne
and will soon annihilate her people; i
prevails extensively among the Chinese
! and Japanese residents and is seriously
| undermining and will ultimately destroy
the white population. lis dismal shad ov
Is already upon US, ana if this administra
! ton should favor annexation and bring
the people of the islands into yet closel
relations with our people; If the future
! health of Americans Is to be sacrificed
upon the altar of commercial advantage
| to favored few, then our growing civIli
cation will rot ere it ripens. There car
be neither prosperity or happiness withou
| health.
With the slime of political corruption
| perm eating every channel of our nationa
! life; with consum ption shoaling more
and more our harbor of future greatness
with cigaretteism paraiyZing the arm and
brain of this generation, we only need
now the annexation of leprosy to insure
speedy classification of America among
the nations that have lived, fourished
and passed away.
f. H. WooLsEY, MD.