The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1899-12-13
DR.. SCAPORONE
His Views on the Plague
in Hawaii.
Experience In India Agrees With
DR.. Herbert - Thinks Action
Must be hmm diate.

An Advertiser reporter called on Dr..
Scaporone yesterday. when that gen
tleman gave his views on the presence
OF the plague in Honolulu as follows:
At the meeting OF the Board of
Health held this morning to consider
the reported cases Of bubonic, or black
plague" reported by DR.. Herbert, sew
eral opinions were expressed by the
medical fraternity, DR.. Herbert very
rightly recommending that steps be
taken at once TO control and stamp out
the dread disease. One Of those pres
ent arose and proposed in a serious
vein that the result OF the bacteriolog-
ical examination be awaited before
such radical measures were adopted
1t has been my lot to be present at
Puma, India, during the most severe
time Of the plague, when the fatalities
reached the enormous figure of 1000 in
a week. At that time most of the
prominent and foremost physicians of
Europe visited India and studied the
bacteriology of the disease, and in no
instance was it suggested to await the
result Of psychological examination
before adopting radical measures for
y.
the learned gentleman consider that
the microbe of bubonic plague is so
easily and surely identified and iso-
lated, that upon the first look through
the microscope 1t is possible to state
that it absolutely and positively is the
specific micro-organism OF the plague?
Has he never read, or possibly heard
OF, the discussion between the results
N ha or nf ho fuo 70 hop
teriologists, Kitasato and Yersin?
Until after incubation of the cul-
lures in as many rabbits or other ami
mails as possible, it is impossible to
make a serious statement; and yet /
read in an evening paper that at $50
p. m. 1t was decided. after the bacte-
biological examination, to be the
plague.
Poor kitasato finds it necessary to
inoculate dozens of animals and wait
several days before being able to state
his opinion. Here, in a few hours
time, the specific microbe was isolated,
the cultures made, the animals inocu-
lated, and the symptoms of the disease
developed. Wonderful
My opinion is that they better, for
the present, give more credit to the
microscopic and clinical observations,
and, following Doctor Herbert's advice,
take measures as soon as a patient
presents all the symptoms Of the dis
ease, without awaiting the result of
the bacteriologist, which Is now only
a very good assistant for the diagnosis
of the plague, but not yet mathemat-
ical certainty. And even were it SO,
would come too late to prevent the
spread of the first cases.
For my part, / agree with Doctor
Herbert that very likely we owe the
importation of the disease to the rats
and immigrants baggage brought by
steamers from the Far East. 1t might
also possibly have been imported by
some Chinese or Japanese affected with
pests larvata," which is not danger
Gus for the patient who can still go
around and attend to business, but ex-
tremely so for the community, as he
can spread the disease in it's worst
form. These cases were very common
in Bombay two years ago and were
closely looked after by the health au
thOrities