The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1898-10-27
THE BOARD OF HEALTH AND
THE ARMY.

The relations OF the army in occu-
patton here, with our Board Of Health,
is an excellent illustration OF the i'm
perfect way that public business is
usually executed everywhere. 1t is not
exceptional here. There is no occasion,
at present. to criticise either the army
or the Board. They are now, we be
Iieye working in harmony.
We have remarkably efficient Board
cause it has acted in emergencies. with
intelligent energy.
Our Board, like all other Boards Of
Health has supreme control in health
matters. The army here. as elsewhere.
must obey its. orders, unless martial
law exists. Boards OF Health are re-
sponsible for the general sanitary con-
GitiOns of a place, and even the mill
tary authorities. cannot put the health
OF the people in jeopardy. The civil
law is the law of the land
When the troops landed here in July
last. the care of their health rested
primarily with the medical staff
Theoretically, the staff possess the
knowledge OF the best methods of pre-
serving the health of the men, and have
the means at their command.
When the troops went into camps,
in a strange land, wise forethOught
would have brought the medical staff
into close cooperation with the Board
of Health, in {. common cause. that is,
the preservation of the health of SOL
der and civilian alike.
AS a matter of fact they stood apart
for nearly four months. The Board
of Health was reluctant to interfere
with the work and methods of the
military authorities. Such interference
is usually resented and it was feared
in this case that it would be reported
to the Mainland as an ''unwarranted
presumption Nor did the special
agent of the Washington Government
recognize the obligation of any duty
on his part in the premises. The Board
itself did not Seem to be aware of it's
own large powers.
On the other hand, the Medical staff,
and the commandments felt that they
were abundantly able to take care of
the health of the forces, without asking
for assistance They would not nat
urally seek aid excepting in event Of
an emergency.
There occurred however, in the be
ginning "a little misunderstanding of
a rather trivial kind between the Board
and the staff which prevented a cor
dial cooperation. The cause of it
need not be discussed. In the mean
time, and for some weeks the germs
of the typhoid fever were breeding in
one of the camps.
Finally the Board and the army have
come together, after several dirges
have been played over the bodies OF the
victims of typhoid fever.
We purposely avoid discussing the
merits of the case at present, because
there is now harmonious action. 1t is
presented only to show how in an i'm
portant matter, there was no wisdom
of the hour" And the wisdom Of the
hour was not in operation three
months ago, for the same reason that
it is seldom put in operation at the
right moment, in affairs generally-it
was not put in operation by the Con
gress of the United States many years
ago. when the experienced soldiers
told Congress in vain that there should
be an efficient military establishment
organized to meet any emergency.
In the largest and more just sense
the existence of disease here among
the troops is due to the persistent
negligence of Congress, and the people
who elect congressman.